


What You Deserve

by psychicdreamsandangelwings



Series: As the Story Goes [1]
Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bad Parent Maryse Lightwood, Bad Parent Robert Lightwood, EVERYONE IS JUST REALLY PROTECTIVE, Fluff and Angst, How Am I Still Bad At Tagging, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Past Abuse, Protective Isabelle Lightwood, Protective Jace Wayland, Protective Magnus, WHERE DID ALL THIS DOMESTIC FLUFF COME FROM
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-17
Updated: 2016-10-24
Packaged: 2018-07-15 14:02:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 26,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7225258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psychicdreamsandangelwings/pseuds/psychicdreamsandangelwings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Magnus and Alec run into someone from Alec's past while out on a date, Magnus realizes he doesn't know everything about Alec like he thought he did. </p><p>Or the one where Magnus and Alec run into Alec's abusive ex that Alec has never told him about and Magnus realizes just how shitty Alec's parents really are.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This started off as a simple idea that wasn't supposed to be very long but ended up becoming a much longer multi-chaptered fic. I still don't think it's going to be more than five chapters though. 
> 
> Remember this is set in an alternate universe where everyone is completely human. Though it won't be graphic, there will be conversations that talk about abuse and rape. If that may be triggering for you please refrain from reading this. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

"Magnus," Alec whispers hesitantly, looking around at the groups of people, all of them dressed to the nines in outfits worth hundreds of dollars, at the surrounding tables. He and Magnus are dressed up too, he hasn't worn anything like this in a while and it makes Alec feel weird, but everyone around them looks a hell of a lot better than Alec ever could no matter what he puts on. "How expensive is this restaurant?"

Alec's parents are both powerful people with a lot of money, they jump at the chance to showcase their wealth and don't let anyone forget the influence the Lightwood name carries, so Alec's no stranger to the finer things in life. His parents were in the limelight constantly, they breathed expensive dinners and fancy clothing, though Alec has never felt comfortable in these situations.

So, after he and his mother's fight a few years ago and subsequent strained relationship, Alec's tried to stay away from this scene as much as possible. It has always made him uncomfortable, the fancy dinners and the expensive clothing and the awkward conversations, even when he was on better terms with his parents. He's much more comfortable sticking to jeans and t-shirts. He doesn't ask his parents for anything, he makes his own money and pays his own bills and he likes it that way.

The name Magnus Bane carries its own weight, Alec's boyfriend is a wealthy man with even wealthier clients. Magnus is pretty good about respecting Alec's boundaries, he knows this scene makes him uncomfortable and he's usually pretty good about keeping his work separate from Alec. Though, he's not always successful and Alec does attend events sometimes because it makes Magnus happy to see him there and Alec loves making Magnus happy

"Don't worry," Magnus says, gently grasping Alec's hand. "I've already taken care of everything, you just have to sit there and relax. I just wanted to treat you to something nice, you've been stressed out to the max lately and you definitely deserve some pampering.

Magnus was right, things had been stressful lately and it's been hard for him to stay on top of things. Though he technically doesn't have custody of his younger brother Max, he's started staying with him and Magnus 95% of the time. His parents are constantly traveling for work and vacations, which makes keeping Max in consistent schooling very difficult. Even though his parents had both agreed to let Max stay in New York and live with Alec while they are away (which was pretty much always), his Mother had made his life hell for months now because of it. Magnus had picked up on this because Magnus always picks up on everything, but that didn't mean Magnus needed to take care of Alec. Alec could handle it just fine

"But-" Alec tries again only to be cut off by Magnus' finger

"I know you are very capable of taking care of yourself Alec and you don't need me trying to fix your problems for you. But we're in this together now, I love you so much and all I want to do is help you relieve the pressure you're under. For once in your life let someone take care of and treat you to something special, I'm just trying to take your mind off of things," Magnus says, smiling slightly. "Let me spoil you."

Alec sighs and shakes his head with a fond smile. He's never had anyone insist on taking care of him before, he's so used to taking care of everyone else that sometimes Alec forgets he needs to take care of himself as well, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't at least somewhat like the idea. Alec has insisted on taking care of himself since this relationship started, he's pretty sure he owes some of that stubbornness to the way his parents have treated him in the past, and has always made sure Magnus knows he doesn't need to be taken care of, that he's in this for more than just the money.

But it really does make Magnus happy, Alec really loves making Magnus happy, so he supposes for once he can indulge in Magnus' whims.

"Alright," Alec says, the smile that spreads across Magnus' face when Alec agrees makes the whole night worth it. "Tonight, I promise I won't complain about you "spoiling me" at all or ask any questions about what's going to happen. But, tomorrow is going to be a different story."

"I'll take it," Magnus says, kissing Alec's hand in a romantic gesture. Alec rolls his eyes at the cheesiness and tries to hide the fact that he's blushing.

It's then that a cheery waiter with a blinding smile comes up to their table and hands them both menus. "My name is Andy and I'll be your server tonight," the waiter says as Alec opens up the menu he had been handed. The first thing he notices is that none of the items have prices, not even the drinks on the back, and Alec realizes Magnus really had taken care of everything. He was going out of his way to keep Alec in the dark about how much he was paying. When they had first started dating Alec would have been infuriated but now, three years later, Alec finds it charming and very sweet.

It's been a long time since the two of them have been able to have a romantic night out, their schedules have been insanely busy and Max has complicated things (not that either of them mind) slightly. Alec was going to enjoy this night out with Magnus. He decides not to question the blank menu, he'd promised Magnus he wouldn't complain about anything tonight and Alec meant it. It was probably a good thing too, because if Alec knew their meal was going to cost half as much as one of his paychecks he would have insisted they leave right away and try taco bell instead. 

* * *

About an hour and a half later the two of them finish their meal and Magnus discreetly pays the check, making sure Alec doesn't catch a peek at the expensive bill. Even though Alec had agreed not to say anything about the price tonight, Magnus is sure he'd have a problem with how much the dinner cost. Alec's always hated Magnus spending money on him, no matter how much Magnus insists it's not that big of a deal to him.

The idea is kind of nice though, considering almost every relationship he's ever been in has centered around the other person wanting a piece of Magnus' money and extravagant lifestyle. He likes knowing that Alec likes him for _him_ and not the money in his bank account. Alec would still want to be with him if he was a broke homeless person and there's nothing more comforting than that sentiment.

Still, Alec works hard and he tries to take care of everyone in his life. He fights for everything he has without asking for anything in return, he's completely selfless, and he works his ass off. Alec has never taken advantage of Magnus, hell he's hardly ever let Magnus (or anyone really) do anything for him, and Magnus just wants to take care of him for one night.

After the check is cleared Magnus grabs Alec's hand and leads him towards the door. They're both in a good mood, Magnus hasn't seen Alec this relaxed and carefree in weeks and it's good to see the smile he loves so much. This dinner was only his first plan on the list of "spoiling Alec" and he doesn't want to do anything that might jeopardize those plans. They are almost to the door when a voice from somewhere behind them calls out Alec's name, causing both of them to turn around.

Magnus catches sight of a man and a woman sitting across from each other at a table near the door. They are obviously on a date, this isn't exactly the type of restaurant you go to with your friends, and Magnus' eyebrows knit together. He doesn't recognize them at all as anyone Alec has introduced him to before and that surprises him. Alec has always been completely honest with Magnus, he could've swore he knew everything about his boyfriend, but he's not really worried about it. Alec does have friends outside of their circle.

Magnus glances over at Alec to try and gauge how this is going to go but Alec doesn't seem to have any reaction to the man who had called his name whatsoever. Magnus isn't sure if that's supposed to be a good or a bad thing, especially considering he's never met this man before. They stand there in awkward silence for a few seconds, watching the couple sitting at the table, when suddenly one of them stands up and makes his way towards them.

Magnus can feel Alec stiffen up next to him as the guy stands up and the grip on his hand tightens more and more the closer he gets to them. Something is clearly wrong, Magnus has never seen Alec react this way before to anyone, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn’t' nervous - maybe even a little freaked out - because of it. He's about to ask Alec what's wrong but before he can the man stops in front of them and starts talking.

"Oh man," the man says, stopping in front of them, as he puts a hand on Alec's shoulder. "We haven't seen each other in so long, how've you been?"

"Good," Alec says dismissively, shrugging off the man's hand. "Just out with my boyfriend." Magnus doesn't miss the way Alec steps a little closer to him, putting a few inches of distance between him and the newcomer, before wrapping an arm around Magnus' waist.

Alec's never been a fan of PDA, not even with something as simple as his arm around Magnus' waist, and the fact that he's sidling closer to him whenever this guy takes a step towards Alec worries Magnus. Alec almost looks scared of him and Magnus is really not a fan of some guy scaring his boyfriend. "We really should be going Shawn," Alec says, discreetly pulling Magnus towards the door, "we've got other places to get to."

"Don't be rude, Alexander," Shawn says, his tone cold and his gaze harsh, as he reaches up and grabs Alec's hand that Magnus isn't holding. "That's no way to great an old friend.

Magnus doesn't like the way the man is looking at Alec, he doesn't like the fact that he had called him Alexander, and he definitely doesn't like the fact that Shawn is gripping Alec's hand like that.

"You don't get to call me that," Alec says, tone a mixture of sarcasm, anger, and possibly fear. "Not you."

"Don't be childish," Shawn says, shaking his head, as the hand on Alec's wrist tightens hard enough to make him wince. "You've always been such a baby, Alec. Grow up."

"Okay," Magnus says, getting in between the two of them, lowering his voice low enough so that only Alec and Shawn can hear as he grits his teeth. There's a few people starting to look at them and Magnus can see a waiter nearby watching them. It's only a matter of time before other people get involved. He really doesn't want to make a scene but he's not going to act like he's okay with this asshole putting his hands on Alec like that.

"You're out of line buddy," Magnus says, deciding it'd probably be best if he keeps his cool as much as possible, "and I don't like the way you're talking to my boyfriend. I don't know who you are or how you know Alec but I'm telling you right now if you don't remove your hand from his wrist I'm going to break yours."

Shawn sneers at Magnus and contemplates saying something for a few seconds before he decides not to and let's go of Alec's hand. It's probably a good thing because Magnus doesn't know if he could keep his hands to himself if he were to say anything else. Alec seems to be frozen, he doesn't move or say anything, and Magnus is fuming. Clearly the history between these two isn't good and it takes everything in him to keep himself from blowing up. Gently he wraps his arm back around Alec's waist and pulls him back and away from Shawn.

"We're going to leave now," Magnus says, rubbing his thumb against Alec's side in hopes that it'll help keep him calm, "and let you get back to your date before you cause an even bigger scene."

Magnus turns the two of them around and starts heading towards the door. They're almost out the door when Shawn calls out, "maybe I'll see you again soon, Alexander, it's always a pleasure."

Alec doesn't say anything once the door shuts after them. He seems to be out of it, almost like he isn't really here, and it's starting to freak Magnus out a little. He's never seen Alec like this before and he doesn't like it. The two of them walk hand in hand for a few blocks before Magnus pulls Alec towards a bench and the two of them sit next to each other.

"Are you okay?" Magnus asks softly, not exactly sure what he's supposed to do right now.

Alec shrugs but leans into Magnus' side. Magnus lets his arm fall around Alec's shoulders, pulling him into his side a little more. Magnus knows Alec better than he knows anyone, he's learned to pick up on his various moods and what he needs. He wants more than anything to ask Alec what's going on, figure out who the fuck that man was and why he thought it'd be okay for him to grab Alec like that, but Magnus can tell by the way Alec's acting that he doesn't want to talk. He also probably wouldn't enjoy what Magnus had planned for the rest of the night. This is unchartered territory for him but he knows the best way to take care of Alec.

"Okay, change of plans," Magnus says, pressing a kiss to the top of Alec's head. "This is still your night, Max is spending the night at a friend's house so we have the entire house to ourselves, and nothing's going to change that. How about we go home, put on comfortable clothes, and watch movies in bed until we pass out. I kind of just want to hold you now.”

Alec smiles at Magnus and kisses him gently, letting him know how much he cares about him. "Let’s do that, please. I just want to go home with you."

Magnus nods and stands up, pulling Alec up with him. Their apartment is only a few blocks away so the two of them walk home together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/assbuttrickyl)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly where the heck did all this domestic fluff come from because it definitely wasn't planned.

The day after the dinner where Magnus and Alec had run into Shawn the two of them still haven’t talked about what happened at the restaurant. Alec had been out of it when they had gotten home, the whole situation had shaken him up and put him on edge, and Magnus could tell the last thing Alec needed was him pressuring him into talking. So, even though it nearly killed him inside to see Alec hurting and not know why, Magnus had backed off and bottled up everything he wanted to ask him because, at least at that time, that was what was best for Alec. And Magnus will always do what is best for Alec.

Instead, he worked on making the night all about taking care of Alec. Making sure Alec was comfortable was more important than understanding who Shawn was and how he and Alec knew each other. Magnus decided to forgo the sexual aspect of the night of “spoiling Alec” he had planned, neither one of them were in the mood and Magnus had a bad feeling Shawn was some kind of ex Alec had never managed to mention. If that were the case, sex may not be the best thing for him right now. So they had laid in bed together, cuddled up close, for hours watching movies until Alec had managed to fall asleep, wrapped up in Magnus' arms.

The two of them had slept in until a little after noon, much later than either one of them had been able to sleep in 'til in weeks, when Magnus made Alec breakfast in bed before they had to pick Max up from his friend's house. Alec seemed to be much better off after he had woken up, he was laughing and teasing Magnus for making Alec breakfast in bed, and seemed to be back to normal. Magnus knew they still needed to talk about Shawn, but with Max coming back there wasn’t really time to do so.

Alec had gone to pick up Max while Magnus had tried to get work done in his office. He had managed to clear his schedule for two days, a feat that had taken him two weeks to accomplish, but was going to take advantage of the alone time and just check to make sure everything was still running smoothly. As soon as Alec and Magnus were back he’d lock everything away.

Magnus really wanted to spend more time with Max and Alec. He’d felt like he had been neglecting them over the past few months, there’d been a lot of high maintenance clients that had demanded almost all of Magnus’ time nearly 24/7, which made him feel like an ass. He knows he has no “real” relation with Max, Maryse (who hated him for reasons he’ll never be able to understand) reminded Magnus of that as much as she possibly could, but he still saw he and Alec like family. They, and as an extension Jace and Izzy (though maybe not as much), were by far the most important people in Magnus’ life. Magnus loved them, he truly did, and he would do anything for them. It had been a long time since 

He planned on dedicating last night to him and Alec. Though his plans had been altered a lot with the appearance of Shawn, Magnus still thought it had gone pretty well. Tonight, on the other hand, was going to be a little different. He’s dedicating this night to spending time with everyone, including Jace and Izzy. A new arcade, complete with laser tag, rock climbing, and a multitude of other big activities that will probably set Alec’s “mother hen” mode into overdrive, had just opened up and Max was dying to go. He and Alec figured he definitely deserved an award for all of his hard work.

Max had been doing really well in school lately, much better than he had done while he was traveling with Maryse and Robert (though Magnus wasn't going to tell them that even though he really wanted to), and he didn’t really ask for anything. Max had just turned nine, he was about to finish the third grade, and he's been doing better than he ever has anywhere else. He's doing good in school and he's making friends he doesn't have to worry about being forced to leave in less than a month.

Though keeping up with everyone was much easier for him now that he’s been in the same school for six months, which Alec had told him happened to be the longest time he’s remained in one school since kindergarten, that didn’t make anything else easier on him. Maryse and Robert had pushed him too hard, they’d enrolled him in the best schools they could wherever they happened to be staying but that definitely didn’t make things better for him. There’s still some things Max struggles with and, because of his past experiences with his parents and the pressure they’d put on him, Max doesn’t always feel comfortable with admitting he needs help.

The fact that a nine-year-old feels so much anxiety about school still pisses him off but at least things have been getting better.  

Magnus sifts through his email making sure there’s nothing he needs to attend to right away, though it’d have to be a life or death emergency for him to blow off what he has planned for tonight, while he waits for Alec and Max to arrive back home. A little over thirty minutes later Magnus hears a tentative knock on his office door.

"Come in," he calls out, figuring it has to be Max. By now Alec's gotten pretty comfortable with barging in, Magnus doesn't want him to think he's not welcome in his office because he always is, but Max still hasn't gotten used to being able to interrupt Magnus whenever he needs him.

"Hey buddy," Magnus calls as Max steps into the room. "Did you have fun at Mario's house?"

"Yeah," Max says, sitting down on the comfortable couch against the wall. “We played video games and ate pizza,” Max says, smile lighting up his face. The smile only lasts a few seconds before it disappears, replaced by something sad, maybe a little dejected.

"Something wrong?" Magnus asks, getting up to sit next to him on the couch. “It sounds like something is bothering you.”

"Is something wrong with Alec?" Max asks after a few seconds, picking at his nails. A nervous habit.

Magnus would be lying if he said he wasn’t shocked by what Max had said. Max was pretty good at reading people, especially Alec, but that either means Alec’s mood had dropped drastically since he had left to go get Max or that Magnus had completely read Alec wrong this morning and misjudged him completely. Magnus didn’t like either scenario much.

"Why would you think that?" Magnus says, trying to casually fish for information without giving anything away.

"I don't know, Alec just seemed really sad in the car. He's not himself.” Max says, seemingly unable to explain it.

“Sad how?” Magnus inquires.

“Sad like…” Max says, trying to come up with the right way to phrase it. “He’s sad like before he met you. You make him very happy but he used to not be like that."

If Magnus was hoping Max might be able to calm his fears he was going to be disappointed. He was even more worried now than he was before. If one encounter with Shawn was starting to make Alec act the way he had before the two of them started dating, a way that Magnus hadn’t even known existed, their history couldn’t be good at all.

"I think he's just feeling a little sick,” Magnus says with a smile he’s hoping is genuine enough to convince Max. “He'll be okay. You don't need to worry about him."

"Promise?" Max asks, sounding somewhat vulnerable, and suddenly Magnus realizes just how young Max really is. He should be focusing on his friends and whatever drama nine-year-olds experience, not whether or not his older brother/guardian was okay.

"I swear."

Max perks up at that and a smile breaks out on his face. "Thanks Magnus, you’re the best when it comes to making Alec feel better. He loves you a lot."

"I sure do try. Now, do you have any homework due tomorrow?" Magnus says, attempting to change the subject without Max catching on to what he’s trying to do.

“Yeah, just math though. I already did everything else.”

“You want some help?” Magnus asks.

Max goes quiet and kicks his feet at the ground, seemingly avoiding the question. Magnus doesn't question him; he knows if he waits long enough Max will talk when he's ready. "Mrs. Montgomery said all third graders should be able to do it without any help. But I'm really bad at math and it doesn't make sense."

"Well," Magnus says, making a mental note to tell Alec about Max's teacher. It sounds like they should probably pay her a visit. He really doesn’t want Max’s teacher making him feel like he can’t ask for help. "Mrs. Montgomery is a doofus face and doesn’t know what she’s talking about."

Max laughs at that and Magnus smiles. "Most of the population hates math and doesn’t always get it, there's nothing wrong with that at all and I don't want you thinking bad about yourself because of it. Maybe I could help you out, I'm pretty bad at math too but I think if we put our heads together we could figure it out."

"Thanks Magnus," Max says, reaching up to hug Magnus. "You're the best."

* * *

While Max gets set up at the kitchen table, Magnus figures it'd probably be a good idea to at least check on Alec to make sure he's still in one piece. After checking most of their house Magnus heads towards their bedroom to see if he could find him. Sure enough, the second he steps into the room he can hear the shower in their en-suite running.

He tries the handle only to realize the door is locked. Alec had a thing about Magnus walking in on him showering without warning, three years later and he's still not sure why but Magnus has always respected Alec's boundaries. If the door was open, Magnus was welcome to come in. But, if the door was locked that meant Alec needed some space and Magnus would never impede on his privacy. Especially not at a time like this.

Instead, Magnus presses his ear up against the door. The sound of the shower drowns out the rest of the noises almost completely but he can still hear the sound of Alec faintly singing along to his favorite band. Satisfied that Alec was alive, Magnus reluctantly turns around and heads back downstairs. He'd continue to check on Alec every twenty minutes for as long as he remained in the shower. If that time surpassed an hour he'd definitely have to intervene, if only for Alec's sake.

* * *

Alec sits on the floor of their standup shower, naked except for a pair of boxers (Alec doesn’t think he could stand to be completely naked right now), staring at the wall. It’s the place he always escapes to when things get to be too much and he needs to be alone. He has no idea how long he’s been here or what temperature the water is at, he’s completely zoned out of his mind, and he can’t find the energy to focus on the here and now. All he can think about is Shawn, about what he had done to him and the pain he had caused.

Even though Magnus had stopped it almost as soon as it had begun, Shawn’s grip on his hand yesterday had left an imprint on his skin he couldn’t shake. He could still feel it wrapped around his wrist, so tight he’s surprised he hadn’t left a bruise, which led him to having horrifying flashbacks. Magnus helps keep them away, he couldn’t possibly think of Shawn’s abuse while he was around someone like Magnus, but he couldn’t remain next to him 24/7. Magnus would definitely know that something was up, if he hadn’t already figured something was wrong, and Alec isn’t ready to delve into that part of his past.

Magnus makes him feel good about himself, worthy, like he deserves everything he’s gained since they had started dating. Magnus was patient with him, he never pushed too hard and he respected Alec’s boundaries. He was willing to put up with his family, his messed up parents and his annoying siblings who always seemed to need something, and Alec loved him for it. He never feels inadequate, a feeling he’s felt almost his entire life, around Magnus. He’s been terrified of telling Magnus the truth about Shawn because he doesn’t want to lose the best thing that’s ever happened to him or those newfound feelings.

His past relationship with Shawn shows that he’s not as strong as he appears to be and he’s not as innocent as Magnus has always assumed. Alec took things slow with Magnus, incredibly slow, and he’s always suspected that Magnus thinks that’s because Alec was new to everything when they started dating. Alec has never told him anything to make him think otherwise. That would mean he’d have to explain Shawn and that wasn’t going to happen, especially not when they first started dating. By the time they had been dating long enough that Alec felt like he had to tell Magnus, Alec didn’t know what to say.

The loud shrill of Alec’s phone reverberating through the tiled bathroom finally snaps him out of his stupor. He should probably get out of the shower anyway, Max and Magnus have to be worried about him by now and they’d be leaving for the new arcade soon. He quickly steps out of the shower, careful not to slip, and reaches for his phone that is still shuffle playing his Spotify.

He groans out loud once he realizes it’s his Mother and briefly debates ignoring her phone call. She’ll only be even more unpleasant and call him twelve times in five minutes if he doesn’t answer her the first time, it’d be much better if he just gets it over with now. Before, he could get away with not answering her phone calls much easier. But now that he has Max he pretty much has to answer every one of them. He sighs heavily before he picks it up and grudgingly hits the answer button.

Before he can even say hello she starts yelling. “It’s about time Alec, what took you so long? I was starting to think you were ignoring me on purpose.”

“Sorry I was in the shower,” he says, sitting down on the closed toilet as he tries to keep his cool. They’d been on the phone with each other for five seconds and he already wants to scream. “What’s up.”

“You’re Father and I are in town, we’re going to come and pick up Max,” she says, obviously not impressed with Alec’s answer. It was impossible to please her; Alec had given up a long time ago.

“Right now?” Alec says, trying to hide the anger and sadness he’s feeling. “We kind of have plans to go to the new arcade that opened recently, Max is really excited about it.”

The fact that they never give any heads up to when they’re going to be in town is incredibly frustrating, this isn’t the first time they’ve ruined their plans because his parents didn't tell Magnus and Alec what they’re up too. He knows he shouldn’t be angry, they are still Max’s parents and they really don’t have to tell Alec anything. But Max is so excited, he’s been on cloud nine since they had told him, and Magnus had started planning this weeks ago. Coordinating days off so that the two of them plus Izzy and Jace all had the same day off is nearly impossible, it would be a while before they were able to schedule this again.

“The arcade can wait,” Maryse exacerbates. “We have a business dinner to attend tonight and I’m not going to have time to take him.”

“How about you pick him up after the dinner,” Alec suggests, already knowing what Maryse’s answer will be. She isn’t one for negotiating, especially not when it comes to Max. “That way Max can still go to the arcade and you can still do your business dinner.”

“No, that’s not going to work for me,” Maryse says bluntly. “The clients are really important and they’re dying to meet Max.”

“So you’re going to us him,” Alec says. He had meant to say that in his head, that was just going to make the situation ten times worse, but once it slips out Alec figures the damage is already done. He might as well bring it on home. “Like you used me.”

“Alec, that was five years ago. You really need to get over it, move on and stop bringing it up every chance you get. For fucks sake,” Maryse says, putting as much snark into her words as she can. “Get over yourself, Jace almost went to prison because of you. It affected him more than it affected you.”

“Are you kidding me? That nearly ruined me. And what happened with Jace wasn’t my fault,” Alec snarls. “I -”

“Enough,” Maryse yells. “I’m not doing this with you, not again. What's done is done, leave it in the past. I’m sending a car to pick up Max now, make sure he’s ready.”

“Mother,” Alec tries again, taking the time to calm himself down enough so that Maryse doesn’t know just how affected he is by the shift in conversation. “I don’t ask for much, I never question your decisions, and you still have the reins. Just let us take Max to the arcade tonight, we’ve been planning this for a while now and everyone is going to be there.”

“I’m still his Mother,” Maryse says. Alec can’t really tell why but Maryse is much calmer than she had been, if he didn’t know any better Alec would say it sounds like she’s a little remorseful. “I want to see my son and I want to see him now. You can take him to the arcade some other time, it’s always going to be there.”

She sounds dejected now, Alec can’t figure out if she's playing him or if that’s what she’s really feeling. Either way, it doesn’t matter. He wants to feel sorry for her, he’s never doubted she loves Max with everything she has and it has to be hard for her to be away from him. But at the same time she can come see him as often as she wants to, she just chooses not to do so. That's on her, not him, and the arrangement they have now is the best thing for Max. If Maryse didn't think that Alec would not be his guardian.

Maryse is still bitter about the fact that Alec is taking care of Max whenever his parents are out of town, Alec figures she probably always will be. Even though she fully admits that Alec “taking Max off her hands” while they are traveling makes her life easier, she’s still spiteful about it. She doesn’t want anyone thinking Alec is the one raising her son, even if that’s exactly what he is doing.

“Okay,” Alec says, trying to contain his anger. He knows there’s nothing he can do to change her mind once it’s made up. “I’ll go tell him and makes sure he’s ready.”

“Good,” she says, hanging up without another word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the plot thickens. Everything will make sense soon enough.
> 
> Come find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/assbuttrickyl)


	3. Chapter 3

Magnus sits on the couch flipping through the channels in his empty condo. Max had left an hour or so ago, obviously a little dejected even though he didn’t say anything about it. He’s always been a good kid like that, never complains about anything. He loves spending time with his parents, though he doesn’t always act like it he definitely misses them a lot, but almost every time they come into town they’re too busy to _really_ spend a lot of time with him. They have important dinners and high-class business meetings they apparently can’t ignore, not even if it means them getting to spend time with the young son they barely see as it is. It’s always been Alec and Maryse’s biggest contention.

Their visits usually make Alec stressed out of his mind with worry for his brother and brings out this unexplainable urge to show his parents he himself is worthy of their attention. Alec can't relax whenever they get in to town, he’s still so desperate for their approval it’s hard for him to think straight. Though it’s definitely improved since they had gotten together, when Magnus had first met Alec he would have done _anything_ if it meant his parents were pleased with him, it’s not completely eradicated. Magnus doesn’t think it ever will be.

Not to mention what the visits do to Max. Every time they come Max hopes things will be different then the last time they were in town, maybe his parents would spend more genuine time, as in time not spent conducting business, with him. But it never happens, they stay for a couple of days before they’re off again, and they always leave Max heartbroken with disappointment.  

Magnus hadn’t liked the fact that Maryse had called Alec, last minute as usual, to let him know they were in town and taking Max for the next couple of days. However, with Max away and their night free Magnus figures it'd be the perfect opportunity to talk to Alec about Shawn. He still wants to respect Alec’s privacy and let him open up when he's ready, but Magnus really can't take much more of this. He needs to know what's going on with his boyfriend, the uncertainty is going to drive him mad. So, Magnus had planned on at least asking Alec to explain who Shawn was tonight.

That was until Alec had gotten called away on a work emergency. One of the cashiers at the store Alec owned had called him to let him know something had happened, apparently something with dastardly consequences considering Alec had already been gone for at least an hour, that he needed to deal with. Alec had no choice but to go in and see what was going on, leaving Magnus alone at home. It felt weird being here without Alec or Max’s company, Magnus hadn’t been completely alone in the house for more than a couple of months, and he didn’t really like the feeling at all. It made him uncomfortable.

Getting tired of searching through the hundreds of channels they have, Magnus is just about to put on an old rerun of friends when his phone rings. He picks it up and hits answer, not really registering who the caller is. “Hello.”

“Hey Magnus,” a woman says and Magnus immediately recognizes the voice as Isabelle’s. “I’ve got the day off and I really want to avoid talking to my parents at all costs, I’m still not pleased with the fact that they refuse to let us take Max tonight and I’m really not in the mood to deal with Maryse’s shit. You busy?”

She sounds like she’s about to cry, Magnus figures she’s probably already had one run in with Maryse tonight, and Magnus grits his teeth. He’s seen all of the Lightwood children cry at least once because of Maryse and Magnus hates it every time.

He doesn’t really know why, he’s never asked because it’s not really his place, but Isabelle’s relationship with her parents may be even more rocky than Alec’s. From what he could tell they’ve never approved of the way she’s chosen to live her life. They see her as a floozy who dresses inappropriately and just needs to grow up. They also don’t like the fact that she makes her money singing at a bar and doing small modeling gigs. She looks great, she’s great at singing, and it’s a good way for her to make money to pay for the college classes her parents also don’t approve of.

They see her as a disappointment, Magnus, and everyone else really, thinks she’s magnificent.

“Well I’ve got a few recorded episodes of Big Brother if you want to come over -” Magnus starts to say only to be cut off by Isabelle. Last summer he and Isabelle had started a tradition of watching the show with each other every week, even though both Jace and Alec had teased them about it relentlessly. They had plans to do it this summer as well but the two of them haven’t been able to find the time since the show had started last week.

“Say no more, I’m on my way over and I’m bringing lots of food.”

“Okay, but I have to tell you Alec’s not here. He got called down to handle an emergency at work and I’m not sure how long he’s going to be,” Magnus says.

“Ooo,” Isabelle coos, Magnus can almost hear the delight in her voice, “that’s even better. I get you all to myself and now he can’t judge us because of our shitty taste in entertainment.”

Magnus laughs at that and shakes his head. “Alright, I’ll get everything set up. You can just let yourself in when you get here.”

* * *

“Oh God,” Isabelle groans, flopping down onto the couch beside Magnus after returning from a bathroom break. “Can they just evict his ass already; I really can’t deal with him any longer.”

“I really can’t understand why he’s so clueless,” Magnus says, reaching forward for another slice of pizza. “Does he really just expect the entire house to go along with his plans without questioning him at all? Does he even know how this game works?”

Honestly I don’t think he knows what he’s doing,” Isabelle says, taking a drink from her can of pop. “It makes me sad, I thought I was really going to like him. His social game may have saved him if he wasn’t so narcissistic.”

Magnus nods his agreement and takes another bite of his pizza. The two of them delve into a comfortable silence then, soaking up the comfort each other provides. Magnus has always liked Isabelle, from the second he had met her they had clicked. Jace took a little, okay maybe a lot, of time to get used and Max quickly became one of his favorite people on earth. But he and Izzy clicked really well from the first meeting and he loves her a lot, she’s like the sister he’s never really wanted.

“So how’s Mr. Grumpy been,” Isabelle asks, using a nickname obviously designed for Alec, during a commercial. “He told me you guys had a special date planned, I wanna hear all the dirty details.” She gives him a suggestive wink, most likely trying to make him feel uncomfortable, and Magnus snorts.

“You can’t make me blush, Izzy. I’m not Alec,” Magnus says with a laugh. “I mean, if you really want to hear details about me and your brother’s sex life I’d love to give them to you. They are rather delightful.”

“Oh God no,” Izzy says covering her ears. “I forgot I can’t tease you about anything, you’ll just come out and give me all the disgusting details about you and Alec’s vanilla lifestyle. I’m gonna throw up just thinking about it.”

“It’s not all vanilla,” Magnus says with a wink. “I mean Alec is one kinky sonofabitch, let me tell you.”

“Alec,” Isabelle says, exaggerating his name, “as in my brother Alec. He’s the most boring person I’ve ever met. Are you sure you’re not talking about Jace because I have actually walked in on him and Clary having sex and I swear my eyes started _bleeding_.”

Magnus can’t help but laugh at that as Isabelle adds, “I _really_ need to get my own apartment.”

“Oh you’d be surprised,” Magnus says, lifting his eyebrows up and down a few times suggestively. The look on Isabelle’s face makes Magnus keel over from laughing so hard. Once he gets a hold of himself he decides that, even though he really wants to traumatize her with details about his and Alec’s sexcapades, he’ll let her off the hook tonight.

“Alec’s been great, a little out of it given what happened last night but we’ve been doing pretty good,” Magnus says, not really paying attention to exactly what he’s telling her.

By the time he’s realized what he’s said it’s too late to take anything back. He hadn’t meant to mention anything to Isabelle, though she probably does know who Shawn is Magnus hadn’t wanted to ask anyone but Alec about him, that feels too much like betrayal. But the damage is done and there’s not really anything he can do to take it back now.

“What happened last night?” Isabelle asks, all hints of playfulness replaced with worry for Alec. Her and Jace are both incredibly protective of Alec, they had both threatened Magnus with bodily harm if he ever took advantage of him, and neither one of them would be happy to hear what had happened last night at the restaurant – especially not if Shawn grabbing Alec’s wrist was brought up in the conversation.

“We had a run in with some guy as we were leaving, kind of ruined my plans for the evening but lead to something nicer actually,” Magnus says with a soft smile. In the end, lying in bed with Alec for hours was better than anything he had planned to do with him that night. It was a nice quiet night together, one they both desperately needed and hardly ever got.

“The encounter kind of threw him off,” Magnus says, trying to keep the details to a minimum. He still isn’t sure he should be telling her anything, it almost feels like he’s betraying Alec’s trust. “I don’t know who the guy is, Alec’s never mentioned anyone named Shawn to me before, but clearly there was history.”

“Shawn,” Isabelle said, incredulous look coming across her face. “You ran into Shawn last night?”

“Yeah,” Magnus says, hesitating slightly. “He came up to us as we were about to leave, Alec got really nervous which made me worried. He gave me the creeps; I really wasn’t a fan of his presence.”

“Wait a second,” Isabelle says, sitting up on the edge of the couch as she runs her hands down her face. “You mean to tell me Alec has never told you about Shawn?”

“I don’t think so,” Magnus says, growing worried. “I mean it may have come up before, I could have just forgotten his name.”

“No,” Isabelle says, voice a little forceful, as she stands up abruptly and starts to pace. “Trust me you would remember his name. God I can’t believe Alec never told you, I thought surely it would come up considering you’ve been dating for three years now. Then again Alec is an idiot and keeps too much bottled up inside, of course that’s mainly my Mother’s fault but still. He should have told you.”

“Isabelle,” Magnus says, trying to keep his voice calm even though he feels like his insides are being twisted up like a pretzel. “Who is Shawn?”

“He’s a big reason why me and my Mother have such a rocky relationship.” Isabelle stops her pacing and turns towards Magnus, looking conflicted. “I shouldn’t be the one to tell you, Alec would kill me if I told you. Of course I’m going to kill him for not telling you right after I kill Shawn for coming near him.”

Magnus watches Isabelle as she continues her pacing once more, entirely unsure as to what he’s supposed to say now. There’s a thousand questions going through his head right now and Isabelle’s reaction to hearing that Alec had contact with Shawn, even with it being as minimal as Magnus had told her, worries him even more.

“Fuck,” Isabelle yells, tugging at her hair. She takes a few breaths, letting herself calm down, before she takes a seat next to Magnus once again. “When Alec gets home you need to make sure he talks to you, and I mean _really_ talks to you.”

Now that the two of them are sitting close to each other again Magnus can see the worry in her eyes, he can hear the pain and rage in her voice. This was much more serious than he had thought.

“I know how he is,” Isabelle continues, “and you’ve always been so patient with him. You’re perfect for my brother, Magnus, I know you treat Alec really well. But you can’t let him weasel his way out of this one, you have to make him talk to you or I don’t think he’ll ever come out and say what he needs to say.”

“I can’t force him to tell me anything,” Magnus says, a little shocked that Isabelle would even suggest something like that. “I’m not going to do that to Alec, no matter how much you think I need to make him talk to me.”

“God,” Isabelle says, a hint of tears starting to spill from her eyes. “I’m so glad Alec found someone like you. No matter what my Mother says or how much my Father disapproves of you being together, never let them influence you in anyway. Alec definitely deserves someone like you.”

Magnus is about to reply but his voice is cut off by the sound of Isabelle’s phone going off. “You should answer that,” Magnus says after a few seconds of Isabelle ignoring the ringing.

Isabelle hesitates for only a few seconds before she wipes at her eyes and picks up her phone. “Hey Jace,” Isabelle says. “What’s up?”

Magnus scratches at the back of his head takes a drink of his pop, having a hard time processing just what had happened, when the mention of his name draws attention back to Isabelle.

“With Magnus, why?” Isabelle says.

There’s a few seconds of silence followed by Isabelle raising an eyebrow at Magnus. “No of course not,” she says before she pulls the phone away from her ear and hits speaker. Isabelle puts a finger up to her lips, indicating to Magnus that he should probably keep his mouth shut for the time being.

“Okay,” Jace says, sounding nervous. Given Jace’s personality Magnus finds that incredibly odd. “So I did something,” there’s silence on the other side of the line for a few seconds while Jace contemplates what to say, “and I think I did a bad something.”

“What did you do this time,” Isabelle says, her voice going cold. Magnus would never tell her, she’d probably rip his head off, but she looks and sounds a lot like Maryse right now.

“Well, I -” Jace sighs and the feint sound of shuffling can be heard through the speaker, almost as if he had switched the phone to a different hand. “God I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“What did you do,” Isabelle says, teeth gritted, and Magnus is really glad he’s not in Jace’s shoes right now.

“I kind of got Alec drunk,” Jace says, voice talking so fast it takes both he and Isabelle a few seconds to comprehend what he’s saying.

“You did what,” they say, both exploding at the same time.

“Izzy, you said Magnus couldn’t hear me!” Jace says, clearly a little frantic right now.

“You actually asked me if he could hear what you were saying,” Isabelle says, “clearly that meant I needed to put the phone on speaker!”

“What happened?” Magnus asks, cutting off the sibling bickering before it can really get started. “Where is Alec now?”

“Okay,” Jace says, taking a deep breath. “Me, Simon and Raphael were on our way to a bar when Alec called me.”

“I should have known it’d be the three of you,” Isabelle says, sounding just as frustrated as Magnus is feeling.

Alec doesn’t drink and has told all of them _multiple_ times he’s never been interested in getting drunk. He doesn’t like the taste or what alcohol does to him, it leaves him with no control and causes him a great deal of anxiety. Alec hates it. There’s an unspoken rule within their circle of friends to keep Alec away from alcohol and the fact that the three of them, who all know about Alec’s issue with drinking, had chosen to get him drunk is infuriating.

Magnus quickly checks the clock and realizes with alarm that Alec had left for work nearly four hours ago. He mentally kicks himself for not realizing there had to be some kind of a problem sooner. He was too wrapped up in the drama in the big brother house to realize that Alec has been gone much longer than he should have been.

“Just let me finish the story, Izzy. Alec told me he wanted to get drunk, and,” Jace adds quickly, probably sensing one or both of them is about to protest, “I asked him if he was sure and he told me he really needed to forget something. I figured he and Magnus had a fight or something and he was at the stage where he’d get drunk with or without us; I didn’t want him going out and getting drunk by himself so I told him we’d pick him up.”

Jace hesitates slightly before continuing once again. “Plus, I’ll admit, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get Alec drunk; I mean he never drinks.”

“You’re unbelievable,” Isabelle mutters, shaking her head.

“I said I was sorry okay!” Jace says, trying to defend himself.

“Actually you didn’t but continue your story,” Magnus says. He wants to be angry at Jace but he knows better than anyone Alec would have found a way to get himself drunk with or without his brother, it was probably safer that he had been out with the boys. He’s just upset that Alec hadn’t told him.

“So we all picked him up from the shop, I asked him if Magnus was coming and Alec told me he had a last minute client come up and wouldn’t be able to make it,” Jace says. Magnus is man enough to admit that hearing that hurt him a little inside.

“We got to the bar and Alec got hammered within twenty minutes,” Jace explains, “he only had a single shot and he was already feeling buzzed. He started acting crazy, we couldn’t get him to calm down at all, and it got to the point where he was starting to freak us out so we all went back to my place.”

“Why didn’t you just bring him home?” Magnus asks, clearly not following Jace’s thought process on this one.

“My apartment was closer, plus I didn’t want to bring him home hammered. I figured he could sober up for an hour or so, maybe eat something and play video games while we waited, but somehow he got a bottle of Jack and started chugging it. Now he’s in the bathroom throwing up and I can’t get him up off the floor.”

“You’re an absolute moron,” Isabelle says, letting out a frustrated sigh. “Alec hates drinking, you should have known there’d be a reason why he’d want to get drunk off his ass. It’s not as simple as some fight with Magnus either, Jace, he ran into Shawn yesterday.”

The other line goes deadly quiet and when Jace speaks a few seconds later its through gritted teeth with a voice that could kill. “What?”

“He and Magnus went out last night and Shawn was there,” Isabelle starts to explain. “Alec’s never told Magnus who Shawn is so he has no idea just how bad this is.”

“If he put his hands on Alec, I will kill him,” Jace growls, making the threat sound a lot more like a promise. He lets out a frustrated grunt and a thump can be heard, almost as if a fist had connected with the wall, faintly from the other side.

“Jace,” Isabelle says, realizing they’re heading towards dangerous territory that needs to be handled carefully. “You need to calm down, do you want to get arrested again? Mom can’t fix it this time.”

“Alec is worth it,” Jace says and the seriousness in his voice doesn’t shock Magnus one bit. Jace is self-centered, he’s often hard to deal with, and he can be a complete asshole. But he loves his family with everything he has and he’d never let anyone get away with hurting them.

“Don’t be an even bigger idiot than you already are,” Isabelle pleads. “Beating the shit out of Shawn isn’t going to accomplish anything and you know very well Alec wouldn’t want you doing it.”

“I don’t want to _hit_ him,” Jace clarifies, “I want to _kill_ him.”

“So do I,” Isabelle says under her breath, “but I’m not going to watch you go to prison for the rest of your life because of it.”

“Okay,” Magnus says, finally commenting on the situation. He doesn’t want Jace or Isabelle going out and killing anyone, he doesn’t think Alec would approve of that, though he’s almost positive they never would. They’re fiercely protective of Alec and, if Shawn is as bad as Magnus is beginning to suspect he is, he has no doubt they’d try and hurt him. But he doesn’t think that pain would extend to killing. Either way the conversation is starting to get out of hand and Magnus figures it's best if he starts to play mediator right now.

“Both of you need to calm down, take a deep breath, and not kill anyone. You think you can do that, at least for Alec’s sake?” Magnus asks.

Surprisingly in a matter of seconds both Isabelle and Jace are taking deep, slow, breaths to help themselves keep calm. Magnus wishes he could do the same because, though he looks calm, his insides are a tidal wave of anger. It doesn’t help that his imagination is running wild right now because he’s not clued in on the situation like Jace and Isabelle are

“Better,” Magnus says, heading towards his shoes. “Me and Isabelle are on our way now, it’ll only take a few minutes to get there if I’m driving. In the meantime, try and get Alec out of the bathroom and, for God’s sake Jace, don’t let him anywhere near anymore alcohol.”

“Okay,” Jace says. “I’ll be waiting.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay as of now I've got one more chapter planned, it'll probably be the longest one yet and it has a fluffy ending I think you'll like and a detailed explanation of who Shawn is. But, if you have any ideas for what else I could do within this story just let me know. I'm definitely open to expanding it. 
> 
> Come find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/assbuttrickyl)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was originally supposed to be the last and final chapter but my muse decided to extend it slightly. There should only be one or two chapters after this but my endgame often changes so we'll see how that goes.
> 
> This isn't very long or detailed but I ended up liking it and I hope you do too. This isn't graphic at all, I don't think it could be triggering, but it does mention bruises caused by abuse. If that may trigger you please refrain from reading this.

**_Flashback_ **

_“I saw Mommy putting paint on Alec,” Max says, flopping down on the couch in-between Isabelle and Jace. He runs his toy car up Isabelle’s arm, making soft vroom noises that make both Isabelle and Jace smile. Isabelle extends her arm so Max has more room for his car to travel._

_“What do you mean Mommy was painting Alec’s face?” Jace asks, eye brows knitting together. Max is only four and he’s not really good at explaining anything._

_"You know,” Max says dropping his toy to curl up against Isabelle instead. “Like you put on your face.” Max wipes at Isabelle’s eye gently, taking off some of her eyeshadow, and lifts up his finger to show both of them the residue left behind. “Alec had a bad owie on his eye and Mommy was painting it.”_

_Jace and Isabelle share a look, both of them getting a sick feeling in their stomachs, as they turn to question Max further. “Max, you’re not making much sense buddy.”_

_“I wanted to scare Alec ‘cause he gets so funny when I do,” Max says, giggling as he picks up Isabelle’s hand and starts playing with her fingers. “He was in Mommy’s room so I was sneaking in and I saw her painting Alec’s face. He had a big owie on his eye. Was Mommy making it feel better?”_

_Jace and Isabelle look at each other once more, anger overtaking the confusion they had both been feeling earlier, before they turn back to Max. “Yeah Max, that’s got to be it,”  Jace says._

_The three of them descend into silence, Isabelle and Jace are both thinking what they should do about this newfound knowledge, when Jace breaks it a few minutes later. “Hey, Maxie, you think you can go play in your room? Me and Izzy have to have grown up talk.”_

_“I wanna have grown up talk too,” Max says, eyes lighting up at the chance at being like one of his older siblings. “I'm five years old."_

_"No," Isabelle says, unable to resist a smile at how adorable her brother is, "you're almost five. You can have grownup talk with us when you're older."_

_"You guys are being no fun,” Max pouts, crossing his arms with a huff. "Alec would let me have grownup talk to cause he's nice."_

_“We’ll both take you to the park later,” Isabelle offers in an attempt to placate him, “I bet we can even get Alec to take us to get ice cream or something.”_

_“Really?” Max says, jumping up from the couch as his voice grows excited, forgetting he had even wanted to have "grownup talk" in the first place._

_“That’s a promise,” Jace adds, making Max beam._

_“Thank you!” He jumps up, hugging them both quickly, before he skips out of the living room._

_“Why was Mom covering up bruises on Alec?” Isabelle says the second she's sure that Max is out of the room._

_“I don’t know,” Jace says, “but we can’t go jumping to conclusions, Izzy. That’s just going to make things worse.”_

_Isabelle stands up snarling and ignores Jace as he calls after her. She heads towards the nearest bathroom and bends down, ruffling around in one of the cabinets for a few seconds before she pulls away with an extra set of make-up remover wipes in her hands. She takes one out, closes the bag, and sets it back underneath the couch._

_“What are you doing?” Jace says, blocking her from exiting the bathroom. Isabelle has an evil look in her eyes, one that usually leads to nothing but trouble, and it's Jace's job to keep a level head. Even if he wants explode just as much as she does._

_“I’m going to figure out what’s going on,” Isabelle says, pushing past Jace. "If Alec really does have a bruise like that something is up."_

_“You’re going to make things worse,” Jace says, grabbing her wrist before she can make it much further. “I’m sure there’s an explanation, Alec probably just hit his head on something. He’s clumsy.”_

_“Then why would Mom cover it up?” Isabelle asks, turning to face him. “She wouldn’t do it unless she didn’t want us to see it.”_

_“You don’t think Mom’s hitting him, do you? Or Dad?” Jace asks, suddenly unsure. Maryse and Robert have never once hit their kids and Jace doesn’t think they ever would. But things have been tense lately, Alec's been acting weird, and it would explain a lot._

_“They’ve been fighting a lot lately,” Isabelle says, suddenly looking really sad. “Whenever they’re in town they get into huge arguments and it would explain a lot of things. Alec’s been acting weird and he doesn’t like talking about Mom, she could be hitting him.”_

_“Mom wouldn’t do that,” Jace says, looking at Isabelle, but the second he says it he realizes he really can’t be sure. “She loves Alec, even if they fight a lot, but she wouldn't actually hurt him like that.”_

_“I know you feel like you have to be loyal to them, like you can’t question the things they do, but he’s our brother,” Isabelle says, the sadness Jace had seen replaced with a newfound rage, “and if Mom’s hitting him I’m putting a stop to it. Even if you won’t.”_

_Isabelle wrenches her arm out of Jace’s grip and stalks to the dining room where Alec and their parents are going over some paperwork, Isabelle doesn’t know what they’re doing and, frankly, she doesn’t care._

_“Why did Max come to us saying you were covering up a bruise on Alec’s face?” Isabelle asks as her and Jace burst into the room. The look of shock on Maryse’s face and the look of fear on Alec’s is enough to prove to both of them that Max wasn’t making anything up._

_“What are you talking about?” Robert says, looking generally confused. From the way he’s acting Isabelle would be surprised if he knew anything about what they were talking about. Whatever is going on Alec and their Mother seem to be the only one clued in._

_“Max came to us to tell us you were putting make-up on a bruise on Alec’s face,” Isabelle repeats herself, paraphrasing Max’s story with a lot less baby talk. “Why were you covering up a bruise on Alec’s face?”_

_“Max is four,” Maryse says, laughing off Isabelle’s question which only makes her even more angry, as if that’s enough of an explanation. “Are you really going to believe what he says? He makes up stories all the time and he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”_

_“Why would he even make something like that up?” Robert says, uncertainty growing on his face as well._

_“Don’t tell me you believe this,” Maryse says, turning to her husband. “Max is four, children do stupid things all the time.”_

_“Don’t pull that,” Jace says, coming to stand by Isabelle’s side._

_The shocked look on Maryse’s face is more satisfying than it probably should have been but Isabelle doesn’t care. Jace has always been seen as the golden boy, the one who doesn’t stand up to their parents, and Maryse seeing Jace stand with Isabelle must be a shock for her._

_“He wasn’t lying,” Jace adds, “and you know it.” Jace may have never gone toe to toe with either one of his parents, unlike Isabelle who seemed to cause them grief at least once a week, but he was defiant, especially when it came to his siblings, and he wouldn’t back down until he got to the bottom of things. Isabelle was lucky to have him on her side._

_Alec, considering the subject is all about him, is suspiciously silent. He looks slightly scared, like he’s trying to figure out a way to explain this but hasn’t been able to come up with a good explanation. He’s playing with his thumbs, staring down at the table in front of them, and hasn’t met anyone’s eyes since they had walked through the door. That scares Isabelle. Alec is strong, fearless, she’s never seen him act like this before._

_Before anyone can say anything else Isabelle steps forward with the wipe she had taken from the bathroom earlier and swipes it carefully down the side of Alec’s face. It doesn’t show much, Maryse spends thousands of dollars on make-up and Isabelle knows she buys the kind that isn’t easy to remove, but it shows enough. A line of foundation comes off, from the corner of Alec's right eye to almost the sharp edge of his jaw, revealing the makings of a dark bruise that takes up most of the side of Alec’s face._

_“What the fuck is that,” Jace says, anger rising in his voice instantly. He takes a step closer to get a better look, running his hands over Alec’s face, before Alec pulls away and attempts to cover it up with his hand._

_Isabelle freezes, eyes stuck on Alec’s face, and she can’t seem to get the words to come out. She knew Max wasn’t lying, that Alec had to have a bruise, but she wasn’t prepared for just how bad it was. This wasn’t a simple black eye; this was a horrifying bruise._

_“If either one of you are hitting him,” Isabelle says, teeth gritted so hard it’s a miracle she can even get any words out, “I swear to fucking God, there will be hell to pay.”_

_“You’re being ridiculous,” Maryse says and Isabelle can practically see the gears turning in her head, trying to figure out how to pull this off. “It’s just a tiny bruise, I was helping him cover it up because he didn’t want anyone to know he’s a little clumsy.”_

_“That’s not a tiny bruise, Maryse,” Robert says, standing up. “How could you possibly say that?”_

_“Did you hit him?” Jace asks, addressing Maryse, a hard edge to his voice._

_“Of course I didn’t hit him,” Maryse says, sounding offended that Jace would even suggest something like that._

_“Than what happened,” Isabelle says, practically yelling. “Because that’s not fucking normal and it clearly wasn't caused by some accident.”_

_“It was Shawn,” Alec says suddenly, causing all eyes to turn towards him. “It was Shawn.”_

_“Of course it wasn’t,” Maryse says, frantically trying to regain some ground. “Alec, you did that to yourself. Remember?”_

_“I can’t do this anymore, Mom,” Alec pleads, voice breaking at the end, “I can’t take it.”_

_"Alec," Maryse snarls, trying to regain Alec's attention, but he ignores her._

_“Shawn’s the one who hit me,” Alec says, addressing both Isabelle and Jace, “and Mom was just helping me cover it up.”_

_“You knew?” Isabelle says, suddenly losing all respect she had ever had for her Mother. Watching Alec, the strongest person she had ever known, break like that kills her inside. The fact that Maryse knew about the abuse, had been covering it up and staying quiet even though she knew how bad it was, made her angrier than she had ever been. “You were hiding it?”_

 

Isabelle is pulled out of her flashback by the sound of Magnus’ voice.

“We’re here,” he says, stopping the car outside of Jace and Isabelle’s apartment complex. Isabelle sighs, gathering her purse, as her and Magnus step out of the car together and head upstairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I was writing Magnus and Alec's conversation, I got the idea to do a flashback to how Isabelle and Jace found out about the abuse. I had been wanting to do a flashback from the very beginning, many people have been asking for flashbacks, and I figured this is probably the most satisfying way for me and everyone reading it. I also couldn't resist the urge to write Max being a cutie.
> 
> As always if you have any suggestions leave them in the comments and come find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/assbuttrickyl)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this one is a little short but I have most of the next chapter written and it's already over 5,000 words. I'm planning on two more chapters, though I may split the next chapter up into two parts depending on how long it ends up being. That leaves two, possibly three, more chapters before everything is wrapped up.
> 
> Enjoy.

“-ing to hate me,” Magnus hears the end of Alec’s sentence as he and Isabelle make their way through the front door and into the living room. Simon and Raphael are sitting on the couch next to each other, looking up with a look of guilt on their faces when the two of them make their entrance. Alec is sitting in the recliner angled towards the TV with Jace knelt down in front of him, trying to calm him down.

“He’s not like that,” Jace says, not realizing yet that Magnus and Izzy are here now because he’s so focused on Alec. “You know that, Alec. He’s a good guy and he’d never do that to you.”

Jace isn’t completely finished talking when Alec catches sight of Magnus and jumps to his feet, calling out “Mags,” only to sit back down immediately holding his head. “Ow,” he mutters, putting his head in his hands and closing his eyes.

“Look,” Jace says, jumping to his feet once he realizes Magnus had just arrived. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know the extent of the situation and if I had I never would have done it.”

“s’not your fault,” Alec mumbles, looking up at his brother. “s’mine. Don’t be mad at Jace, be mad at me.”

“I’m not mad at either of you,” Magnus says, somewhat honestly. He wants to be mad at Jace for doing something so stupid when he knew better, but when it comes down to it his only crime was getting his brother drunk. Alec _had_ consented to it, even though he probably wasn’t doing it just for the experience or to forget a silly little fight like Jace had thought. He doesn’t have much of a reason to be mad at him even if he had been incredibly irresponsible.

“I was a little worried,” he admits, kneeling down in front of Alec, “but I’m not mad at you, babe. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

“I’m sorry,” Alec sniffs, rubbing at his nose with the back of his hand. His eyes are red-rimmed and his throat is croaky, Magnus figures it can’t all be from the alcohol, and it looks like he’s been crying. He’s never seen Alec drunk and he doesn’t really know what to expect because of it.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for babe,” Magnus says, brushing his thumb across Alec’s cheek. “Honestly, there isn’t. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

“You don’ even know,” Alec slurs. “I lied to you, I never tol’ you. I shoud’ve an’ I nev’r did and now I’m drunk and sad and m’sorry.”

“Don’t worry about that right now,” Magnus says with a soft smile, trying to reassure Alec that everything was okay. Right now that seemed like an impossible task given his current situation but Magnus was sure as hell going to try. He couldn't stand to see such a broken look on Alec's face. “I just need you to know I could never be mad at you for something like this, no matter what you need to tell me. Okay?”

"Promise?” Alec says, the word sounding broken as it comes from his lips and it breaks Magnus’ heart to see him so hurt and vulnerable.

“I swear,” Magnus reassures, brushing Alec’s sweaty bangs back from his forehead. “Why don’t we go home; you look like you’re in desperate need of some sleep.”

“Okay.” Alec stands up with Magnus’ help. “Hi Iz,” he says, perking up slightly when he catches sight of his sister. “I’m drunk and sad and I love you.”

“I love you too,” Izzy says with a laugh. “Go home with Magnus, he’s going to take good care of you.”

“Okay,” Alec says, staggering towards the front door. He doesn’t seem to notice Raphael and Simon sitting on the couch or Jace standing awkwardly next to Izzy, he just sidles up next to Magnus as the two of them start walking towards the door.

Magnus knows he can’t be angry at the three of them but he’s still not pleased with what he did. Alec’s aversion to alcohol should have been enough for them to realize getting him plastered wasn’t a good idea. He can’t focus on that right now though, he needs to get Alec home and taken care of first.

Alec wraps his arm around Magnus’ waist and together the two of them walk out the door. As the door shuts behind them he can just barely hear Izzy’s exclamation of “what the _fuck_ were you three thinking” and he knows she’s got this handled.

Magnus helps Alec into the car, making sure his seatbelt is fastened securely, before he gets in himself. Before he can even start the car Alec turns to him with tear filled eyes in a moment of clarity. “Please don’t hate me, Mags. I have ‘ta tell you something an’ I don’ want you to hate me.”

“I could never,” Magnus says with finality. “No matter what, I’ll always take your side.”

“Okay,” Alec says softly.

“Okay.”

* * *

When Alec and Magnus arrive home Alec heads straight towards their bedroom. Magnus is kind of at a loss for what to do, he doesn’t know how to handle this situation but he knows he needs to make sure Alec is taken care of. He decides to give him some space, Alec doesn’t do well emotionally if he crowds around him too much and he figures he probably just needs a few minutes to himself.

About ten minutes later he goes searching for Alec with a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin. He finds him, laying down on his side of the bed with the covers pulled up to his chin. “Here,” he says gently, handing the aspirin and water over to Alec. “This’ll make you feel better.”

“Thanks,” Alec says, quickly taking the pills before he sets the glass down on the bedside table.

“Can I lay with you?” Magnus asks, not really sure where Alec’s head is at right now or if it would be okay for him to lay down with him.

Without any hesitation Alec nods his head and Magnus shucks of his pants before he crawls into bed beside him. “Did you want to take your jeans off, make yourself more comfortable?” he asks once he realizes Alec is still fully clothed and no doubt uncomfortable.

“No,” Alec says frantically, shaking his head. “Please don’ make me, Magnus, I’ll be good I swear. I don’ wanna do it.”

He’s so close to hyperventilating it scares Magnus. His first reaction is to reach out and touch him, hoping to calm him down, but he’s not entirely sure that’s what Alec needs right now. “Hey,” Magnus says softly, withholding his urge to reach out for him. “Don’t worry, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. You can keep them on if you’d like.”

Alec is quiet after that, hiding his head in his hands, and he doesn’t make another sound for several minutes. Suddenly, all at once, he takes his hands away from his face and Magnus realizes he’s crying. He can’t hold it back anymore and Alec makes loud, gut-wrenching, sobbing noises as he reaches out and clings to Magnus like his life depends on it.

Magnus holds on to him tightly, wrapping his arms around Alec’s back as he fists his hands in the back of his shirt. Alec cries for a long time, face pressed tightly up against Magnus’ collar bone. Magnus strokes his back and whispers soothingly in his ear, trying to calm him down, until Alec falls into a restless sleep.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is the big one guys. It answers all the questions I've been asked about Maryse's involvement and Alec's past plus clarifies the whole "Jace got arrested" situation. It's got some pretty heavy topics and should be posted rather soon. 
> 
> As always leave suggestions, questions or comments and come find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/assbuttrickyl)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally chapter six and chapter seven were one chapter but I really didn't want to post one chapter that was over nine thousand words long so I had to break it up. This one ended up being much shorter than the next one but this is the only break I could find in the chapter that seemed fluid. Chapter seven is the big explanation every one has been waiting for and will be posted immediately after this one.

Magnus wakes up the next day with Alec pressed tightly against him. He looks peaceful and calm which is a much better state than he had been through the night. Alec had cried himself to sleep in Magnus’ arms and woken up twice in the middle of the night because of nightmares. It’d been a restless sleep for him, one which Magnus wishes he could fix with the snap of his fingers and it’s hard for him to accept that he can’t. Whatever is plaguing Alec isn’t something that he can fix, especially when he still doesn’t know exactly what’s going on, but he’s definitely going to at least try and help him as much as he possibly can.

Magnus watches him sleep for a few minutes, basking in his peaceful glow, before he carefully pries himself from Alec’s sleeping body. Alec needs sleep and Magnus doesn’t want to be the one to wake him up. He puts on a pair of Alec’s sweatpants, tying the drawstring around his waist to keep them from slipping off his shorter frame, and grabs his phone from the nightstand before he quietly makes his way out of the bedroom.

Once he’s reached the hall he checks his phone and winces. The first thing he notices is that it’s almost one. Magnus hasn’t slept in that long in _years_ and he can’t believe his body had actually let him. The next thing he notices is the fifteen missed calls and twenty-seven new text messages he had, most of them from his assistant and best friend Ragnor, starting at six thirty this morning.

He’d put his phone on silent last night after they had gotten home, Magnus didn’t want anyone interrupting his time with Alec for anything, and had only just now realized he hadn’t told Ragnor that he wasn’t going to be doing anything for work today. At the time Alec had needed his undivided attention, the last thing on his mind was work the next day, and he figured if there was an emergency there were other ways to get ahold of him.

He was supposed to have a full day of meetings and an important dinner tonight but none of that is going to happen now. The last thing he wants to do right now is be away from Alec, his boyfriend is much more important than his work plans and he needs him to be there for him. Ragnor would most likely understand that but he wouldn’t be happy he had waited so long to tell him. He sends him a quick text as he makes his way into the kitchen.

**Reschedule what you can, I can’t make it to anything today. – MB 12:37 PM**

_FINALLLY!!! I thought you were dead, I was actually on my way over right now. – RF 12:38 PM_

**Oh don’t be so dramatic. – MB 12:39 PM**

_Really? You’re calling me dramatic? Pot meet kettle. – RF 12:40 PM_

**You’re a riot. – MB 12:40 PM**

_Everything okay? You wouldn’t do this if it wasn’t important. – RF 12:40 PM_

**It will be, I hope. Do what you can to clear everything for tomorrow too. – MB 12:41 PM**

_Consider it handled. – RF 12:43 PM_

Magnus had just started the coffee pot and finished his last text to Ragnor when he gets a new text from Max.

_Mom wants to take me to the new arcade today – ML 12:45 PM_

**That’s great! You’ll have a lot of fun with her. – MB 12:46 PM**

_It’s supposed to be our fun. I wanted to go with you guys but Mom’s being Mom. – ML 12:53 PM_

**It’s okay, really. We can go another time or find something else to do. – MB 12:54 PM**

_I don’t want to make Alec sad – ML 12:56_

**He won’t be, I promise. Don’t worry about Alec, just go have fun. – MB 12:57 PM**

_Promise? – ML 12:59 PM_

**I swear. – MB 1:00 PM**

_Ok, thanks Magnus – ML 1:02 PM_

**Anytime, Max. – MB 1:04 PM**

Magnus puts the phone on vibrate and slips it into his pocket. He pours himself a cup of coffee and debates whether or not he should wake Alec up. It’s already one and as far as he knows Alec is still sleeping. After the night he has had he definitely deserves it but he knows without a doubt that Alec won’t be happy if he lets him sleep this long, he doesn’t think Alec has ever slept past ten the entire time they’ve known each other.

In the end he decides to make him breakfast, something light that won’t make what he’s sure will be the worst hangover of Alec’s life even worse, before he wakes him up. Alec might be angry but Magnus figures it would be worth it if Alec was getting what he needed. He takes out the blender and the ingredients to make a fruit smoothie and gets to work. Alec wasn’t big on breakfast but he did love smoothies, Magnus was hoping he’d be able to get him to drink at least half of a full glass.

He puts everything together and starts the blender, quickly scrolling through his emails while he waits. Magnus is just turning off the blender and about to divide the smoothie into two glasses when he hears footsteps, which could only belong to Alec, sound down the hall. Sure enough a few seconds later Alec makes his way into the kitchen, one hand rubbing at his eye while the other one moves through his sleep tousled hair.

“Morning, babe,” Magnus says, smiling softly as he stops in the doorway. Alec groans heavily and collapses on the barstool at their kitchen island. He folds his hands on the counter and rests his face on top of his arms, effectively hiding his face from him. “Rough night?”

“I’ve thrown up twice already and my head feels like there’s a woodpecker living inside it,” Alec says, voice groggy with sleep. “Why’d you let me sleep so long?”

“Because,” Magnus says, finishing dishing up the two smoothies. He sets one glass down in front of Alec along with a straw and a bottle of aspirin before he sits down on the stool across the island from him. “You desperately needed it. Besides, I haven’t even been up for an hour yet.”

“Mmm.” Alec is definitely still half asleep and Magnus can’t help but think he’s adorable right now. “Do I have to drink this? My insides feel like they’re about to fall out,” Alec says, blearily looking up at Magnus with red-rimmed eyes. “I don’t wan’it.”

“At least try and drink some of it, can you do that for me?” Magnus asks, taking a sip of his own smoothie. “I made it special for you and it’ll make me feel better knowing you’ve consumed something.”

“Fine,” Alec finally says after a few seconds of an intense stare down in which Alec almost fell asleep. He down four aspirin, more than he probably needs but Magnus isn’t going to say anything, and takes a few quick drinks of his smoothie to help it go down. “Thanks, Mags. I love you, a lot. You know that right? You’re better than I could have ever hoped for.”

Magnus can tell by the way Alec is looking at him that he’s not just talking about the smoothie, he’s talking about everything that had happened since they had seen Shawn. He smiles sadly and takes Alec’s hands, pressing them to his lips gently. “Of course baby, I think the most important thing however is that you know I love you a lot. No matter what, that’s not going to change.”

“Magnus…” Alec says, throat breaking slightly as he struggles to get out what he needs to. “You don’t know the half of it. What I’ve kept from you it’s… it’s going to change things. There’s no way it won’t.”

“You’re still Alec, my Alexander, and nothing is going to change that,” Magnus says honestly, trying to make Alec believe it. Alec’s struggled with his self-worth and different insecurities the entire time they’d been together, he knows right now he’s probably thinking the worst about himself and that kills him inside. There’s nothing, absolutely nothing, that Alec could tell him that would make him stop loving him. It wasn’t possible.

“You deserve an explanation,” Alec says, looking down at the counter top. “I really need to tell you, I know I do, but I’m so scared Mags. You can’t even begin to understand how terrified I am right now. I don’t want you to think differently of me once you find out and I know there’s a possibility that you might, no matter what you say. You can’t predict how you’ll react, Magnus.”

“You tell me what you’re comfortable with telling me,” Magnus says after a few short seconds. There’s nothing Magnus can say right now to show Alec he’s not going to leave him because of whatever he’s about to tell him but that doesn’t mean he’s not going to try and reassure him. “Nothing less, nothing more. We’ll get through this together, honey, I’m not going to abandon you when you need me most.”

“You deserve to know the truth,” Alec says, squeezing Magnus’ hand tightly. “Even if it makes you think differently of me, you deserve that much. I should have told you long ago and I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“Hey,” Magnus says softly, reaching out to brush a thumb over Alec’s cheek. “It’s okay, take your time. I’m not going anywhere, I’m here to listen to whatever you are willing to tell me. Don’t force yourself to do something you’re not ready for just because you think it’s something I need. The only thing I need from you is for you to do what’s best for you, not what’s best for me.”

“I really need to tell you, and I mean tell you everything,” Alec says, “even the things I’ve never told anyone before. I just… I need to get it off my chest and even though I’m terrified of what you’re going to say, you’re the only one I trust to tell everything to.”

“Okay,” Magnus says, heart breaking slightly. “Whenever you’re ready, Alec. Just remember, this is for you. Not for anyone else.”

“I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/assbuttrickyl)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter you have all been waiting for and answers and clarifies pretty much everything that's been mentioned so far, it even touches on Alec's aversion to alcohol. Somehow this ended up being 99.9% dialogue but there isn't really much I can do with that because of the nature of the chapter. 
> 
> TW for abuse including mental, physical, sexual, and emotional. Nothing is graphic though Alec and Magnus talk about what Shawn did to him so if that may trigger you PLEASE refrain from reading this no matter how tempting you might find it.

It takes a few seconds for Alec to start, Magnus figures he’s trying to gather the right words to say, and when he does they shock him slightly.

"I was a whore," Alec says finally, voice so soft Magnus isn't really sure he's hearing him right. "Honestly, that's exactly what I was and I think a big part of the reason why I haven’t told you anything yet is because I’m so ashamed of that time of my life."

"Alexander -" Magnus starts, only to be cut off by Alec. Magnus thinks that might actually be a good thing because he doesn't know what he's supposed to say to that admission. He wants to say no, Alec, of course you aren’t a whore. And he’s not, Magnus could never think that. But the truth is he has no idea what Alec is about to tell him and can’t make that statement because of it.

"Wait," Alec says, looking up at Magnus with pain filled eyes, and Magnus' heart hurts. He loves Alec more than he’s ever loved anything and that look in his eyes kills him. "I need to get this out and I feel like if I don’t get it all out in one sitting I will never get the courage to tell you what you deserve to know, what I should have told you years ago. Just, listen to everything I have to say before you say anything. Please.”

“Okay,” Magnus agrees, steeling himself for what is bound to be a painful conversation. If Alec needs him to shut up and listen, despite how much Magnus feels like he needs to say something to make everything better, he can do that. For Alec. “I can definitely do that.”

“Shawn and I used to date,” Alec starts, looking down at the counter in front of him. “My mother is the one who set it up. She was trying to get something done, I honestly to this day don’t even know what it was, but for whatever reason she needed the support of Shawn’s parents. So she made a deal with them.”

Ten seconds into Alec’s explanation and Magnus is stiffening, already deciding this may make him hate Maryse more than he already does.

“I came out when I was a junior in high school, my parents took it better than a lot of other parents do so I was kind of lucky. I mean, my dad was never really a big fan of it but he told me he wasn’t going to get in the way of my happiness,” Alec says with a small, sad, smile, “and my mom was pretty much okay with everything. They’ve never really had strong views about it, at least not that they showed us kids, so I figured it would probably go in my favor. I’m lucky it did.”

Considering Maryse and Robert both had rather extreme reactions to Alec announcing they were dating, Magnus finds himself very confused. If they were okay with Alec’s sexuality, why did they both openly hate him so much? He knows who he is probably doesn’t help that any, Magnus has a reputation and he knows both of Alec’s parents were completely aware of it at the time, but they seemed bothered by the fact that he was a guy as well. Robert was incredibly homophobic and Maryse tried to set Alec up with other girls in front of Magnus multiple times. He wants to ask Alec but he promised him he would keep quiet and that’s what he’s going to do.

“I’m not sure how they heard about it but somehow Shawn’s parents found out I was gay and they were really interested in me,” Alec continues. “It’s not really something Maryse or Robert advertised but I figure it probably got around in their inner circle somehow, you know how news travels.”

Magnus smirks at that. He knows very well just how fast news travels, especially in upper class New York. It’s hard to tell truth from rumor because most people don’t care either way, if they’ve got dirt they’re going to share it no matter what it is. Magnus’ reputation has been tarnished by people like that.

“Apparently,” Alec continues, “Shawn was gay as well, out to his parents but closeted to everyone else, and they were both afraid that his sexuality was going to ruin his father’s chance of being elected Mayor because of how hard he was to control.”

Magnus rolls his eyes at that, New York citizens were pretty open minded when it came to topics such as sexuality. Finding out a mayoral candidate had a gay son wouldn’t deter most of them for voting for him, in fact it may have even helped him in the long run.

“I know,” Alec says with a smirk, accurately reading the look on Magnus’ face, “but both of them are strict conservatives who preach religiosity and don’t want their son’s ‘condition’ getting in the way of the viewpoints they promoted. In other words – they were bigoted assholes and didn’t want their son's reputation to negate the apple pie, God fearing, life they painted for the voters. They were horrible people.”

Magnus can sense things are about to get rough so he reaches across the table and takes Alec’s hand once more, gently rubbing his thumb against his palm. From the way Alec grips his fingers, like it was his life line, Magnus was right to assume that.

“So,” Alec says with a deep breath, “I became his dirty little secret. They needed someone to relieve Shawn’s stress, to let him live out his fantasies behind closed doors, and his parents figured the best way to do that was to get him a secret boyfriend. My mother agreed to get me to go out with him if they agreed to give her their support on whatever it was she was doing at the time.”

“What made you agree to it,” Magnus asks, prompting the first question since Alec had begun his story.

“I didn’t really have a choice,” Alec says, playing with Magnus’ fingers. “My mother isn’t really an asking person, she just tells you what to do and expects you to do it. Especially back then when I didn’t have the guts to stand up to her, I just did whatever she told me to do and I didn’t complain. Needless to say, I wasn’t consulted on the matter and I had no choice. They made the arrangements together and I was just expected to go along with everything. My Mother can be… very persistent.”

Alec takes a deep breath before he continues. “Plus, I kind of felt bad for him. I mean, his parents were complete assholes and he had to hide who he was because of it. I felt sorry for him, honestly I did. I felt like he deserved to be who he was just as much as I did and I knew I could help him with that. I figured if it didn’t work out it didn’t work out, that there couldn’t be any harm in just trying it out.”

“You’re too sweet for this world Alec, honestly, it doesn’t deserve you,” Magnus says, making Alec blush bright red and hide his face.

“Anyways,” Alec says, trying to shake off his smile, “so we started dating. He had some young blonde beard, Charlotte I think her names was, put in place to make things looks as normal as possible. They would go on public dates together and attend all of his father’s functions while I hung out back on the sidelines. No one was supposed to know about me, I don’t even know if Charlotte knew what Shawn was doing while no one was looking, and Shawn liked it that way.

“He thought I was some kind of dirty secret,” Alec says, a faraway look in his eyes, “and for some reason he was even more turned on by that idea. Hardly anyone knew about the relationship, I didn’t even tell Jace and Izzy at first, and he liked that very few people knew. I was kind of in to it as well, at least at first. I wasn’t very comfortable with who I was, not in the slightest, and I wasn’t ready to openly out our relationship. I wanted to figure things out for myself first and I saw it as an opportunity to do so.”

“How old were you?” Magnus asks.

“Seventeen,” Alec says, looking ashamed, like this was somehow his fault, “and he was twenty-five when it started.”

“What?” Magnus says, unable to help himself. Alec was just a kid and Maryse used him, her own son, to gain a political advantage. “You were so young, babe.”

“I was almost eighteen, about five months of it,” Alec says, like somehow that makes it better, “and the relationship didn’t officially start until after I graduated high school.”

Magnus thinks about Alec, young and naïve and not sure of himself, being taken advantage by someone much older than he was and he starts to grow angry. That anger grows even more fierce once he adds the fact that this relationship was sanctioned by Alec’s mother.

“But you were still seventeen when the relationship began?” Magnus asks and Alec slowly shakes his head yes. “That’s not even remotely okay.”

“It was legal,” Alec says, apparently trying to calm Magnus down, “and I really did like him at first. He was sweet and charming and handsome; I should have known that was just a ploy. Almost from the beginning he was incredibly possessive, he didn’t like me talking to anyone he didn’t know or approve of. It was hard, considering nobody was supposed to know about the relationship, and he was _extremely_ jealous of Jace.”

Alec stops talking and stares down at his hands for a few minutes, trying to gather his thoughts. “Our first big fight was about him; I think it was like four months into the relationship. I don’t even know what started it but Shawn didn’t want me hanging out with Jace anymore, he thought there was something between us because of how close we are. He didn’t believe me when I told him that Jace was straight and my brother or that I didn’t feel anything for him. The second he found out Jace was adopted he got incredibly possessive.

“That was the first time he hit me,” Alec says, swallowing hard. “I wouldn’t budge on the matter, Jace is my brother and I wasn’t going to stop hanging out with him simply because Shawn was jealous. He ended up controlling a lot of my life but my siblings were always out of bounds.”

Alec looks up at Magnus, pleading with him to understand what he’s trying to say. “You know how important my siblings are to me,” Alec says, “especially back then. My parents weren’t home much and they took Max with them most of the time, Jace, Izzy, and I were all each other had.”

Magnus understands perfectly. When they had first started seeing each other Alec had told him, multiple times, that his siblings were the most important people in his life. Magnus had understood, had told Alec multiple times that he was fine with that, and he never got why Alec felt the need to reiterate that to him so many times. Now it makes sense.

“I hit him back once,” Alec scoffs, shaking his head. “That really pissed him off. He started threatening me, my family, everything. He said he had secrets on us, that he could ruin us, and it terrified me. I knew that my mom would never forgive me if I fucked this up, especially if it was to the point that Shawn was spilling their secrets. So I staid and I didn’t do anything about the abuse. It didn’t happen often, just every once in a while, so I thought I could handle it.”

Alec takes another deep breath and looks up, tears in his eyes. “And then, about eight months in, things got much worse. He was incredibly controlling, he started making all my decisions for me. By then Jace and Izzy knew I was seeing someone, they knew what his name was but they never met him. I didn’t want them around him, they’re both so good at reading people I knew they would have picked up on something and start asking questions I couldn’t answer.

“He –” Alec says, throat so choked up it takes him a few tries get the words out, “he liked to share me. He had a few friends that he trusted to keep quiet about his orientation and he loved watching them have sex with me. I definitely didn’t want it, and he knew that, so he’d get me so drunk I could barely even remember my name let alone tell him I didn’t want it.”

“So,” Magnus says, sick to his stomach at the thought of Alec being taking advantage of like that, “when we first started dating and you told me you wanted to be exclusive you meant…”

“I was never worried about you cheating on me, Mags,” Alec says, wiping at his eye. “Never. I just wanted to make sure you knew I wasn’t into sharing you or being shared.”

“Oh, honey,” Magnus says, unable to think of anything to say. What does one say when they hear something like that?

“It’s whatever, I got over it a long time ago. Anyway,” Alec says, coughing to clear his throat some, “there was one time I woke up and everything hurt. I didn’t remember much, Shawn had gotten me blackout drunk, but I did remember Shawn and his friends had all been there. I just, I couldn’t take it anymore. Magnus, it was… it was really bad.” Alec takes another deep breath and then continues.

“So I told my mother what was happening,” Alec says, playing with Magnus’ fingers once again with a faraway look in his eyes. For some reason the movement helps keep him calm and Magnus is just happy he can do something to help him out at a time like this.

“She told me I had to man up,” Alec looks up at him with tears in his eyes, “that I had to do my part for the family. She said she did so much for me and I did nothing to pay her back, that me dating Shawn was far too much of an asset for me to just end the relationship. She made me stay because it benefited her, even though she knew he was hitting me. She started covering up the bruises for me, I was really shitty at makeup so she did it for me when it got to be too noticeable.”

Suddenly, everything starts to make sense. The reasons why Alec refused to let his parents help him out, why he insisted on doing everything for himself, why he didn’t like it when Magnus spent money on him. It was all because of Shawn and his mother making him think he had to repay anything that is given to him. It pisses him off beyond belief to think that they had ruined something like that for Alec.

“So we hid the abuse, together. It wasn’t all bad,” Alec said with a sad smile. “He could be really sweet sometimes and he always said he was sorry, that he didn’t mean for it to happen. I never believed him and I don’t think I ever loved him, but it really wasn’t all bad. He hardly ever left bruises on my face and the rest of me was generally left unscathed.”

Magnus is speechless for a few seconds, unable to understand how a mother could possibly do something like that to her own child. He couldn’t imagine ever having a kid and forcing him to hide any sort of abuse.

 “Why?” Magnus starts, pausing for a few seconds to gather his thoughts. “How could she possibly do something like that to you? I don’t understand that at all. He was hurting you, Alexander, she should have stopped it _immediately_ and not when it was convenient for her.”

“I think she was afraid of the backlash that would happen, everyone was bound to find out that I was getting hit by my significant other, even if no one knew who it was, and she didn’t want people to start talking about it,” Alec says. “She didn’t want people to find out I was a pussy who couldn’t stand up for myself.”

“Alec, that’s –” Magnus says, trying to find the right words. “That’s not even remotely true. Fuck, you were _so_ young and you didn’t deserve anything like that. She forced you into the relationship and then manipulated you into staying, even though she knew it was toxic and that he was hurting you.”

“I don’t think she really knew how bad it was,” Alec says, like that somehow makes everything okay. “I may have told her he was hitting me but I don’t think she knew it was that bad. I never told her about Shawn’s friends or the alcohol or anything like that. And it’s not like he left visible bruises on me all the time. She only had to cover it up once or twice a month.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Magnus says, meaning every word of it. “Alexander, I don’t care how much she knew. The second she found out that something bad was happening to you she should never have even suggested that you stay. That’s what a good mother would do. If Max or Izzy, hell even _Jace,_ came to you and said that someone was hitting them what would you do?”

“Kill them,” Alec replied almost instantly, a protective look coming over his face. Alec sighs heavily and then gets a little more realistic. “Okay, probably not. But I would hit them, hard. Really hard. I won’t stand for anyone hurting them.”

“Would you ever tell them that they deserved it?” Magnus says softly, sincerely hoping that Alec picked up on where he was going with this. “That they were too weak to fight back? That it was there job to take it because they owed something to someone? Would you ever do or say anything to them that didn’t _immediately_ suggest they get the fuck away from whoever was hurting them?”

“No,” Alec says sadly, seemingly understanding where Magnus was going with this. “I wouldn’t. There’s nothing they could tell me that would make me believe they deserved what happened to them.”

“Exactly,” Magnus said. “You’re not even their parent and you would never justify anything bad happening to them, you love them too much. The fact that your mother justified what Shawn did to you makes her a monster, Alec. I don’t care how much she actually knew; she should have put an end to it the second she found out he had been putting his hands on you.”

“So you don’t think I deserved it?” Alec says, voice so soft Magnus can barely hear him. “You don’t think I was a whore? My mother blamed everything on me – her failed contract, Jace getting arrested, her “tarnished” reputation – and there’s always been a part of me who believed she was right, that I screwed everything up for her.”

Magnus has to fight to keep control of himself after Alec voices those last questions. He’s enraged, just thinking about what Maryse had put her son through, but he knows he had to keep his cool for Alec’s sake. Magnus had to play his cards right. Alec was hard headed and, even after being with him for three years, he had no self-confidence. He couldn’t just out right tell him what he was thinking, he’d never believe him right away. So, he tries a different approach to try and get Alec to understand he could never think bad of him because of this.

“What if Izzy came to you and said her boyfriend was having her sleep with his friends and she didn’t like it? Or if Jace came up to you and said Clary was hitting him, like really hitting him?” Magnus asks, looking at Alec sadly. “Would you call Izzy a whore? Would you tell Jace that he deserved to get beat, that he’s a guy so he should know how to defend himself?”

“Of course not!” Alec all but yells, looking up at Magnus. Magnus can see the anger blazing in his eyes at the proposed scenario. “Never. I… I would be furious that someone was hurting them like that.”

 “What if they tried to make up excuses for the person who was hurting them? What if they told you they deserved it or they just wanted to make the person they were with happy? Would you blame them, call them a whore or a pussy?” Magnus continues.

“No,” Alec says softly. He keeps his eyes trained on the counter in front of him, refusing to look up at Magnus. He can tell Alec knows where he’s going with this now.

“So why on earth would you say those things about yourself?” Magnus asks. “Why would I ever think those things about you? You were young and inexperienced. None of that was your fault Alec and I would _never_ blame you for what happened to you. Never. You didn’t want it, you didn’t like it, you were forced into that situation. That doesn’t make you a whore, babe.”

“But it’s different when it’s me,” Alec says, finally looking up at Magnus. “I was a fuck up, Mags, I could never do anything right. I was always making mistakes, always doing something wrong. I could never make him happy. Everything I did was wrong, I failed at everything. I had every opportunity to walk away but I staid, even though I _knew_ I didn’t love Shawn as much as I said I did. That was all on me.”

“Alexander,” Magnus says carefully, bringing Alec’s hands up to his lips. “You didn’t feel like you had any choice but to stay. Your mother and Shawn forced you into the relationship and then manipulated you into staying in it. The fact that you didn’t say no and didn’t leave doesn’t mean that it was consensual.”

Alec is quiet for a long time and Magnus starts to get a little worried. Eventually he starts talking again. “I was with him for almost two years, I put up with years of abuse for her. I never complained, I never fought back, I never did anything about it,” he starts with, tears springing to his eyes. “I did everything I could for him, for _her_ , but it was never enough. I was still the fuck up. I couldn’t even end it myself, Mags. If it wasn’t for Max, I could still be with him to this day.”

“How did it end?” Magnus asks gently. “For the record, I’m so glad it did. You didn’t deserve that, Alec. Truthfully. You didn’t deserve to be taken advantage of like that, to be hurt and manipulated. It kills me to think about you in that situation and I’m so sorry you had to go through something like that.”

Magnus can see the beginnings of a smile, an actual smile, form on Alec’s face and it makes him incredibly happy. “Max walked in on my mother covering up a bruise. He didn’t really understand what he had seen but he told Izzy and Jace and of course the two of them freaked out. They confronted me, Izzy took make up remover and ran it down the side of my face which revealed the bruise. That one was really bad, possibly one of the worst he left on my face. They were not happy, especially not when they found out that Mom knew about it.”

Alec sighs and starts scratching nervously at his arm. “She kept trying to get me to lie, not tell them what really happened. But by then I was just… so tired. So tired of the abuse and the pain and the lies. I wanted it to end and I couldn’t do it anymore, Mags, I just couldn’t. I didn’t want to be with him anymore and I couldn’t make myself stay, after two years I couldn’t do it anymore.”

Alec’s lip starts to quiver and Magnus wants to be able to calm him down more than anything but he has a feeling Alec just really needs to get this out so he’s not going to intervene. He takes a deep breath, bites his lip, and continues.

“After Jace and Izzy found out he was hitting me, I broke things off with Shawn,” Alec says. “I know for a fact if I hadn’t of done it myself they would have done it for me. I told him I couldn’t do it anymore and I ignored him every time he tried contacting me. Izzy and Jace got really protective after they found out what was happening, it took everything in me to keep them calm enough to not blow up on him and my mom because of the way she acted after everyone found out. That’s why they were assholes, especially Jace, when we first started dating. You were the first person I dated since Shawn and they got protective because of it.”

Magnus smiles, remembering back to how protective they were of Alec when they first started talking. Magnus had found it rather endearing, though incredibly annoying, that they threatened him within an inch of his life if he ever hurt Alec. Now it all makes sense and he’s glad they had done it. They looked at for Alec and Magnus knows they always will.

“Me trying to keep them calm didn’t help much, as it turns out,” Alec continues. “I don’t know what was said, Jace and Izzy wouldn’t tell me, but they ran into him while they were at the mall about a week after I ended the relationship. He said something that really pissed off Jace and he beat the shit out of Shawn. It was really bad; I mean _really_ bad. Jace had just turned eighteen and the judge who got his case wanted to throw the book at him, make an example out of him for all the other privileged rich kids. Jace would have gone away for a long time had my mother not stepped in and stopped it.”

Magnus doesn’t feel sorry for him one bit. In his eyes, Shawn deserved a lot worse for what he did to Alec. Magnus would have done the exact same thing if he had been in Jace’s shoes and he’s not sure if he can refrain from punching him if he ever runs into Shawn again.

“Mom freaked out on me,” Alec says, somewhat bitterly. “She blamed me for what happened to Jace. I wasn’t even there, I still don’t know exactly what happened, but she blamed me for everything. She constantly threw the fact that I got Jace arrested in my face. It took a few weeks to get everything cleared up, the judge wouldn’t let Jace make bail so he had to sit in jail. She never let me forget that I was the reason he was rotting away in a jail cell.”

“You know that wasn’t your fault,” Magnus said. “For her to blame you of all people for that is a bitch move. Jace is a big boy, he makes his own decisions. Shawn deserved that and so much worse for what he did to you but it was Jace’s fault for not being able to control himself, not yours.”

“Jace told me that every time I saw him,” Alec said. “I used to hate myself, I seriously thought I had ruined my brother’s life. But he made sure I understood he didn’t blame me. He said he had made his own choices, that he was ready to accept those consequences, and above all else that he didn’t regret anything he had done. My mother, on the other hand, hasn’t forgiven me. She still throws that in my face as much as possible and it happened five years ago.”

“I love you, baby, so much, but your mother is a nightmare,” Magnus says sadly. “She’s done so much to hurt you and she can’t even recognize that what she’s doing to you is wrong.”

“It took me a long time to realize she was wrong,” Alec says with a heavy sigh. “A long time.” He’s quiet for a few seconds before he abruptly changes the topic. Magnus doesn’t miss how Alec’s breath starts to hitch as his hands clench into fists but he also doesn’t comment on it.

“She managed to work her magic on Shawn and his parents and by magic I mean she basically blackmailed them. I don’t know exactly what she did, she would never tell me that, but I’m sure it had to something to do with Shawn’s sexuality. I mean, you saw who he was with last night,” Alec said, gesturing towards Magnus. “He’s still playing the straight card and we stopped dating five years ago.

“They didn’t take the situation very well and,” Alec says, “I don’t really blame them for that, I mean my mother basically blackmailed them, but they did deserve that. Jace only attacked Shawn because of what he had done to me and they knew full well what I was getting into. They knew he was violent and abusive and an alcoholic, I didn’t find out ‘til later that that’s why they had my mother convince me to go out with him. The relationship was designed for me to be his stress relief. It allowed him to unleash his rage and sexuality away from prying eyes. They used me, Mags, and they knew I was probably going to get hurt in the process.”

Magnus is proud of Alec for being able to admit that, though the admission enrages him even more. Alec was young and he had been used in some sick and twisted stunt to make Maryse and Shawn’s parents look better. He’ll never forgive them for what they’ve done to Alec. He takes Alec’s hand and presses his lips against his smooth flesh, letting him know he was there for him without saying anything.

“So. He and his parents broke off all deals they made with my parents because of it,” Alec continues. “My dad understood, he was happy to call off their contracts because of what he did to me. My mom… not so much. She blamed me for everything, claimed it was my fault they were having money problems, and she refused to look me in the eye for months because of it. It was like I was the black sheep in the family, at least in her eyes. I broke off an abusive relationship because I couldn’t take it anymore and apparently everything that happened afterwards was my fault.”

Alec takes a deep breath and looks up at Magnus, eyes brimming with unshed tears. The look on his face breaks his heart and he suddenly feels fire running through his veins. He couldn’t imagine ever hurting Alec, ever making him cry like this, and the fact that Shawn and Maryse had done so much to him at such a young age makes him angrier than he has ever been in his life.

“I had sex with Shawn's friends for her,” Alec says, scratching nervously at his arm. “I let Shawn beat me for her, I stayed with a monster for her and she had the _audacity_ to tell me everything was my fault. She blamed it on me, told me if I had just been a better boyfriend I wouldn't have gotten hit and Jace wouldn't have gotten arrested. I believed her for a long time; I thought I deserved it because I couldn’t make sacrifices or be a better son for her.”

“I’m so sorry you’ve had such a shitty experience,” Magnus says, not sure what he’s supposed to say. Honestly, he doesn’t think there’s anything he can say to make this better. Words aren’t going to take away his hurt or make his mother realize how badly she had, and still has to a certain extent, fucked up.

“There’s nothing for you to be sorry about, love,” Alec says with a sad smile. “You haven’t done anything wrong, if anything you’re the main reason why I’m as okay as I am today.”

“You know,” Magnus says slowly, “You definitely could have told me. I would never have blamed you for what happened to you or judged you any differently if I had found out earlier.”

“I know,” Alec says. “Believe me, I know I should have told you a long time ago. We’ve been together for three years and I’ve never even mentioned Shawn’s name to you. Izzy and Jace both pressured me into talking to you, eventually I just told them that I handled it because I didn’t know what to say. I just… I didn’t really think it mattered that much.” 

"Alec,” Magnus starts off slowly, “anytime someone hurts you like that it matters. You should have told me sooner, though I completely understand why you didn’t and that’s okay. I already told you I wasn’t mad at you and meant that."

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Alec quickly counters. “It’s just… you were so good to me, Magnus. From the very beginning, you were different. You didn't force me to do anything, you taught me I had a voice and that I was allowed to say no. I didn't know my opinion mattered and you made sure I was comfortable with everything before you did it.” Alec smiles an honest, bright smile, that lights up his entire face.

“You treated me… like I was a treasure, like I was worthy. You took things slow, sometimes agonizingly slow. You let me lead and you _never_ made me uncomfortable. You asked me if I was okay and you made sure I knew you were fine with taking things slow. I mean, you didn’t kiss me until our fourth date and you actually asked if that was okay before you did it. You were a perfect gentleman, Mags.”

Alec says it with a laugh and a fond smile, sniffing slightly. “You were the first person to convince me that I was worth something, that I deserved respect and dignity. Jace and Izzy tried but they just couldn’t get through to me. When I say that it didn’t matter I mean I didn’t feel the need to tell you right away because you were already taking things slow, you were already making sure I was comfortable with everything. I didn’t need to give you a reason to do that like I would have with most people; you just did it. For me, for my sake, and you have _no idea_ what that meant to me. For the first time in my life someone put my comfort first.”

Magnus smiles sadly. He remembers how Alec was when they had first met, how hard it was for him to accept that someone might want him for him. He was insecure and had no self-esteem whatsoever, Magnus had chalked that up to inexperience and his parents but he’s beginning to realize there’s a lot more to it than that.

"I was scared, okay, really scared.” Alec takes a deep breath and pauses for a few seconds before he continues. “I cared about you so much, almost from the very beginning I thought I loved you, and I didn’t want to scare you away. I didn't want to lose you. I mean my family was already horrible to you, I was taking the relationship infuriatingly slow, and I didn't want to say anything that might push you over the edge and make you leave."

“I never would have,” Magnus says honestly. He liked Alec more than he had ever liked anyone when they first started their relationship and it wasn’t very long before those feelings developed into something akin to love. “I never wanted to hurt you or make you feel inadequate. I was perfectly fine with taking things slow and honestly, your family wasn’t _that_ bad.”

“Are you kidding?” Alec scoffs. “My dad threw holy water on you and tried to convince you to go to a reconversion camp run by his pastor friend and he's not even religious! He just knows there's no other "logical" excuse for homophobia so he uses what he can get.”

“Yes, your father was very creative in his ways to try and get me out of the picture,” Magnus admits. “But I can deal with homophobes babe, I've been doing it all my life. Besides, he’s come around quite nicely hasn’t he?”

“I don’t think he ever had a problem with you personally, Mags,” Alec says. “He was fine with my sexuality until he found out that Shawn had been hitting me. I think trying to scare you away from me and my family was his attempt at keeping me safe, he thought if he could get me to date a nice girl I wouldn’t get hurt. It was a backwards way of trying to protect me.”

“Once I proved I wasn’t going to hurt you he calmed down a lot,” Magnus adds. “He was never that big of a problem, he was just protective of you. I saw through his theatrics pretty quickly and, even though it took a year, he eventually became one of our biggest supporters. Remember?”

“That doesn’t make what he did to you okay, Mags.”

“No,” Magnus admits. “But I understood where he was coming from, I wasn’t going to let him come between us and I didn’t.”

“My mother was horrible to you,” Alec says, trying to further prove his point about his family, “and she still sometimes is.”

“Yes,” Magnus says shortly. His relationship with Robert, though it wasn’t really much of a relationship, was much better than his relationship with Maryse. No matter what he does he’ll never be okay in her eyes and he’s come to accept that. “Your mother is definitely persistent.”

“Persistent?” Alec says, raising an eyebrow. “That’s how you describe it? My mother literally tried to have you deported to keep you away from me and when that didn’t work she spent an entire month with a private investigator trying dig up dirt on you. When that failed she made up nasty rumors about you in hopes that it would deter some of your cliental and ruin your reputation. She's manipulative and cruel and doesn't care about what she has to do to make sure her reputation stays intact and she get what she wants.”

“Your mom isn't racist,” Magnus says, “she just doesn't want you dating someone like me because she's afraid it'll ruin her reputation. She also doesn’t like meeting a “foe” she doesn’t have anything on. She can’t bribe me and she can’t get any dirt on me, I think the fact she had no leverage over me made her angry. Not to mention there was nothing she could have done to make me leave, though she definitely tried. It just shows you how dedicated she is. That's always an admirable trait. Besides, I have warmed up to her somewhat. She hasn’t tried to outwardly break us up in months, I call that a win.”

“That doesn't make it right,” Alec says sternly, “Mags, what she did to you wasn't acceptable. You don’t deserve that. She tried to _ruin_ you simply because she didn’t want you dating me. She hates when she can’t control everything and she took that out on you.”

“I can handle your parents, love,” Magnus says gently. “Honestly, you were worth it then and you are worth it now. Nothing you tell me, nothing that anyone does, will ever make me leave you.”

“But what about my siblings?” Alec says. “Jace is an asshole, Izzy can be annoying and invasive, and you definitely didn't sign up for taking care of my kid brother when we started dating. You put up with so much and you don't deserve it. You deserve an easy relationship and you’re never going to get that with me, especially not now that you know about Shawn.”

“Well,” Magnus says, trying to think of the words that will reassure Alec that Magnus is not going anywhere - no matter what happens. “Jace is an asshole but he's fiercely protective of and loyal to his family. He'd do anything for you and you know that. He’s a good person. I _love_ Izzy, babe, do you think I would make a tradition out of watching shitty reality TV with her if I didn’t?”

Magnus watches Alec slowly take in everything, letting his words sink in before he continues. “And Max is amazing, Alec, taking care of him doesn't bother me at all. He's a good kid who deserves to have a stable home life, I'm not going to kick him or you out because I didn't plan on this when we got together. You’ve given me something that I never thought was possible – a family. You are everything to me and you always will be. I like my life now, I like having you and Max here, I like our friends and the relationship I have with your siblings. I love it, I love every part of it. I love you.”

“I’m damaged, Mags,” Alec says, hiccupping. “I am. I’m damaged. I thought I was over Shawn, I haven’t even thought about him in a long time, but one run in with him and I’m a spiraling mess. I let Jace get me plastered, I couldn’t take my clothes off near you, and I’m so terrified I’m going to run into him again or that you’re going to think differently of me now that you know that I can’t think straight. I need to man up and get over it but I can’t and I hate myself for it.”

“Stop,” Magnus said immediately. “I can’t stand to hear you talk about yourself like that. I love you, Alec, baggage and all. You are the same person sitting in front of me as you were a week ago, I don’t see you as anything other than my Alexander and that will never change no matter what you tell me. Healing takes time and effort and I think the fact that you’ve never been allowed to talk about this to anyone plays a huge role in your reaction. I need you to understand I still see you as you, my opinion of you hasn’t changed in the slightest, and we _will_ get through this. Together.”

Magnus smiles, blinking back his own tears now. “I don't regret anything I've done with you, in fact dating you is the best thing that could have ever happened to me. You make me a better person Alec, you're the first genuine relationship I've had and nothing is going to make me change my mind. You’re my Alexander and you always will be, no matter what.”

Alec smiles at Magnus, tears streaming down his face. This time Magnus knows for sure they’re tears of joy and he’s happy to know that Alec is finally beginning to understand that Magnus is not going to leave him, that he’s not going to toss him aside because this secret has been revealed.

Alec opens his mouth, about to say something, but before he can they’re interrupted by the ringing of a telephone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/assbuttrickyl)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm pretty positive that there will only be one more chapter. I've got it mostly planned out already but a part of the chapter depends on what you guys want. You'll find out more about that at the end of the chapter.

Alec feels good, really good, for the first time in a long time. Since he and Magnus had gotten together, Shawn had been an issue in his mind. Though he hardly ever thought about him, the fact that he had never told Magnus about his past tore him up inside. He felt dishonest and disgusting, keeping something like that away from him. Now that everything was on the table, now that Alec had finally revealed to Magnus the only secret he’s ever kept from him, he feels much better. He feels free, like he doesn’t have to keep everything bottled up and that takes a huge weight off of his chest. 

That feeling of peace and safety he had is interrupted by the sound of a phone going off. Magnus’ phone rests on the counter next to them and starts to vibrate violently against the granite. He doesn’t make a move to answer it and Alec realizes immediately he’s doing it for his sake. While the sentiment is appreciated, Alec has already taken up enough of Magnus’ time with his past and he doesn’t want to take up anymore.

“Go ahead,” Alec says, smiling softly. “Answer it, it could be important.”

Reluctantly Magnus reaches for the phone and answers it without really looking to see who it is. “Hello,” he says. There’s a slight pause before he continues. “Oh, hey Max.”

“Max?” Alec questions, instantly starting to worry. There was only one reason he would be calling right now and it had everything to do with his parents.

Magnus nods at Alec, apparently confirming what he said, scratching at his forehead. “The fact that you want me to do that makes me a little nervous but I’ll try. What’s wrong?”

“What happened?” Alec says, standing up as that feeling of worry intensifies. “Put the phone on speaker, Magnus.”

Magnus shoos Alec with a wave of his hand and turns in his chair slightly. Whatever happened he’s trying to keep Alec in the dark for now and Alec definitely doesn’t like that.

“She did what!” Magnus all but yells, turning back to look at Alec with a shocked expression.

“What the fuck did my Mother do?” Alec asks, standing up from his chair so quickly it tilts backwards. He’s almost a hundred percent convinced this had everything to do with Maryse and the fact that Magnus, of all people, is reacting like this means it’s not good.

“That’s not-” Magnus starts, clearly ignoring Alec’s frantic temperament. “Honey, how do you expect us to react to that?”

Magnus sighs and looks over at Alec. “I’ll try, but I can’t promise anything. We’ll be there soon, don’t panic okay? Everything is going to be okay.”

By this time Alec wasn’t only worried, he was furious. He had no idea what was going on but he knew he wasn’t going to like it. Magnus says goodbye to Max and hangs up the phone, turning to face Alec completely. “Darling, you know I love you a lot right? I’m going to tell you something and I need you to remain as calm as possible. Max repeatedly told me that.”

“What did she do to my brother?” Alec asks, his teeth gritted in rage.

"He was pretty adamant that I keep you from freaking out," Magnus continues, ignoring Alec's question. "It's important to understand that Max doesn't want you to make a big deal out of this. You've got to remain calm."

"Magnus," Alec says harshly. "Tell. Me."

“Well, she took him to the arcade today and Max was kind of nervous because he was afraid you would be sad,” Magnus starts the explanation. “He knew it was something we wanted to do with him and he didn't want you to feel bad because of it.”

“God, I love him,” Alec says with a small smile. Max was a sweetheart through and through.

“Yes, your brother is the sweetest,” Magnus says. “Anyways, I guess your Father had some sort of emergency come up so he left last night. Maryse took him to the arcade by herself, they’ve been there about half an hour, but she had something come up and had to leave unexpectedly.”

“Please tell me she took Max with her,” Alec says, clenching his fists because he’s pretty sure he already knows the answer and he's definitely not going to be pleased.

“No, she said she didn’t have time to take him home so she left him at the arcade,” Magnus says, anger showing clear in his eyes. It was good to know that he's pissed off at Maryse too, it shows how much he cares about Max and that's important to Alec.

“I’m going to kill her,” Alec says, splaying his hands against the counter-top. "I swear to fucking God, what goes through her head?"

“I’d advise against doing that, I don’t think killing Maryse would solve any of our problems,” Magnus says lightheartedly, trying to keep Alec calm. "You've got to think of Max."

“I _am_ thinking of Max. This isn’t okay and you know it,” Alec says, fishing around in his pocket for his phone. “Damn it, I think I left it in the bedroom.”

“Darling,” Magnus says, standing up to follow Alec as he walks hurriedly into their bedroom. “I know your pissed off but Max doesn’t want you to get all bent out of shape about it, it’s not good for the situation.”

“She left my nine-year-old brother alone at an arcade in New York,” Alec says through gritted teeth. He grabs his phone from the nightstand and spins around so he’s facing Magnus. “I highly doubt she understands how bad his anxiety is, considering he never sees her, but this is unacceptable. He’s probably terrified, how am I supposed to react to that?”

“Exactly as you are,” Magnus says, moving to the closet to pull out clothes for them. Getting to Max was a priority but they still needed to change their clothes. “I don’t blame you, I’m just as upset as you are, but Max needs you to handle this calmly. Keep your temper in check for his sake.”

“No promises,” Alec said under his breath as he dialed his Mother’s phone number. He grabbed the clothes Magnus had pulled out for him, getting dressed as best as he could while still trying to talk on the phone.

“Hello, Alec,” Maryse says after just a few rings. “I figured you’d be calling me.”

“What is the matter with you?” Alec says, trying to keep control of his anger, if only for Max’s sake. He’d always do what was best for Max. “Seriously, what were you thinking?”

“I’m sorry,” Maryse says, “I had an emergency come up and in order to make the next flight to England I had to leave immediately. There was no way for me to take Max with me, I wouldn’t have time to drop him off anywhere.”

“You couldn’t have at least put him in a cab and sent him home?” Alec says, pointing out the obvious fix. He wouldn’t be comfortable with Max taking a taxi by himself either but it would definitely be better than leaving him alone at an arcade.

“There wasn’t any time,” Maryse says, starting to get a little angry. “I had to leave immediately, the flight leaves in thirty minutes and there isn’t another one until tomorrow. Even now I don’t know if I’ll make it time.”

“So you decided to just leave him there?” Alec says, finally dressed. “By himself? In a place he’s never even been before? It’s the opening night, do you have any idea how many people are going to be there? It’s going to be packed full of people. You can’t do that to him, Mother.”

“I’m sorry,” Maryse says in a slightly patronizing tone, “does leaving your son in an elaborate arcade with an unlimited number of tokens constitute bad parenting?”

“It does when you leave a _nine-year-old_ with separation anxiety alone in New York City!” Magnus gestures at Alec, trying to get him to calm down, as the two of them head out the door. Magnus appreciates what he's doing but right now there's nothing that's going to keep him calm. He's furious. “Do you even understand how bad this is for him? He’s uncomfortable with large groups of people and he can’t handle being by himself. I can’t believe you would do something like this.”

“I didn’t leave him completely alone,” Maryse says, trying to save face now. Alec’s not buying it. “I asked the family at the table next to us if they would keep an eye on him until his siblings got there. I knew you would be there as soon as possible; it’s not like he’s going to be by himself for very long.”

“Please tell me you’re joking. They are strangers, Mother!” Alec says through gritted teeth. “He doesn’t and we don’t know him. You can’t leave Max alone with people he doesn’t know in a place he’s never been too, what were you thinking?”

“Are you forgetting who the parent is here?” Maryse says, her tone telling Alec that’s he’s starting to tread into dangerous waters. “He’s my son, I wouldn’t do anything to hurt him. The family is nice; they’ll keep an eye on him until you get there.”

“That doesn’t excuse the fact that he still has anxiety!” Alec all but yells. “With traffic who knows how long it’ll take us to get there; the family could decide it's time to leave and leave him there by himself. You can’t just leave him with people we don’t know. He can’t handle it.”

“Then he needs to grow up and realize that we can’t always be there for him,” Maryse says bitterly. “He’s not going to get anywhere if you keep babying him and placating his so called anxiety. I’ll call him when I arrive in England and he’ll be fine, you’ll see.”

“Don’t you dare,” Alec says, breathing heavily. Magnus takes his hands and kisses his fingers gently, trying to keep him calm. He takes a few deeps breaths; he knows he needs to get his anger in check before he says something that sets his mother off on a rampage. “Don’t even think about trivializing his problems. He’s nine, this isn’t something I made up to make you feel like a shitty mother. I know you love him, I’ve never doubted that, but you can’t keep running out on him like this. He hardly spends any time with you as it is.”

“I’m doing the best I can, Alec,” Maryse says, somewhat dejectedly. “I know this set up is what’s best for him, that’s why he’s with you in New York. I want him to live a normal childhood, he won’t get that if I’m dragging him to a new country every week. That means I don’t always get to see him.”

Alec takes a deep breath and tries to gather his thoughts. He doesn’t want to say anything that will set his Mother off but he’s having a really hard time trying to keep his calm. “You can’t keep doing this, Mom. Max loves you, he loves you so much, and doing shit like this is going to change that. He hasn’t seen you in two months, he barely talks to you, and you can’t even give him an hour of your time? You haven’t even had him for twenty-four hours.”

“I can’t help it,” she says, “that’s my job. I work a lot, I’m away a lot, there’s nothing I can do about that. What do you want me to do, huh? Blow off an important meeting that I desperately need to make so I can spend some time with my son? My job doesn’t allow for that, it never will. I might not always be there but I love Max. I love all of you.”

The admission shocks him slightly. Maryse hasn’t told Alec she loves him in years, since before Shawn, and he doesn’t know how he feels hearing her say it now. The part of him, the part that he had tried so hard to push down over the years, that so desperately needs her approval is singing. The other part, the part that suffered through Shawn’s abuse and her ostracization, doesn’t know if it can believe her words.

“Mom, listen to me because this is something you need to hear,” Alec says. “Max is still young; he needs to have you in his life. I have no problem with watching him for you, in fact I think it’s possibly the best thing you could have done for him. But I’m not his parent and I don’t want to replace you or Dad. You fucked things up with me and I know a part of the reason your relationship is fucked up with Jace and Izzy is because of what happened with Shawn. They took my side in the aftermath and you know I’m sorry for that. But you can still do right by Max.”

Maryse is quiet for a long time, so long that Alec starts to get worried. “I’ve got to go,” she says eventually, “I just got to the airport. I’ll call Max tomorrow; it’ll be too late by the time I arrive in England. Bye Alec.”

Alec hangs up with a heavy heart. “She’s unbelievable,” Alec says, turning towards Magnus. “Honestly, freaking unbelievable.”

“Did I hear correctly?” Magnus asks carefully, afraid to say the wrong thing. “She actually had a random stranger watch Max?”

“Yeah,” Alec scoffs. “When I told her that she couldn’t do that because of Max’s anxiety she told me he needed to grow up and get over it.” Alec shakes his head and presses his thumbs against his eyes tightly. “She has no right to say that about him. She’s not here; she doesn’t deal with the therapy and the nightmares and the anxiety attacks. We do. And for her to act like he doesn’t have any right to feel like that pisses me off more than anything. She is the major cause for all his problems and she can't even admit he has problems because of it.” 

“I can’t believe she would say something like that,” Magnus says, holding Alec’s hand tighter. “The last thing that Max needs is to feel invalidated; she better not say anything like that to his face.”

Alec sighs and plays with Magnus’ fingers. “Did I ever tell you about the time my parents left Max in another country? They had an emergency come up and had to leave immediately. Usually they would take him with them, but they didn't have time to pick him up from school and they were supposed to only be gone for a day. So they left him there with a private tutor he had only known for a day. He called me crying when he got home and realized they had left him. He was six.

“They’ve never been good parents, Mags, I mean I basically raised Izzy and I did a hell of a lot for Jace because they left us here with staff who didn't care about us. But Max is still young, he’s only nine, they have time to fix the mistakes they made with us. They can have a better relationship with Max but they don’t show any sign of doing that anytime soon. I want Max to have a good relationship with them, I don’t want him to grow up like me.”

“Well,” Magnus says, taking a few seconds to think about what he’s going to say. “He has you, he has me, he has Izzy and Jace. He’s got a lot of good role models in his life, people who love him and will always take care of him. I hope Maryse and Robert do better, but if not that’s okay. He doesn’t need them, he’s got you.”

Alec smiles sadly and leans over to kiss Magnus. “You’re right, we’ll take care of him.” He looks ahead at the traffic and sighs. “I’m going to call Izzy, see where she is. Maybe her and Jace can meet us there too, we can make it into a family thing. Max is going to need cheering up after this.”

“I think that’s a good idea, babe,” Magnus says as Alec picks up his phone to call Izzy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as I was writing this I got the idea of having Maryse come back while everyone is still at the arcade. I can definitely work with that but for some reason I don't really want to do it, it's not that I hate Maryse I just don't necessarily think that's something she would actually do. Let me know what you guys think, should Maryse show back up at the arcade or should she just go on to England? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the idea.
> 
> Come find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/assbuttrickyl)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is officially the last chapter, I hope you enjoy the conclusion. Thanks to everyone who's left feedback of any form (kudos, comments, hits, etc), you guys are the best. I've got some ideas to continue this but I really want to get some of my other fics finished before I think about adding more to this verse.

Alec and Magnus arrive at the arcade about forty-five minutes later. Traffic was a nightmare, as usual, and it had taken them much longer to get there than Alec had been comfortable with. He called Max multiple times on their way there, just to make sure he was okay, and he had even talked to the family watching Max for a few minutes. While he couldn’t be completely convinced with just a short conversation over the phone, they did seem like nice people and they assured Alec they wouldn’t leave Max until he got there.

Alec calls Max when he and Magnus finally get to the arcade. Max guides them towards his table over the phone, making it easy for Alec and Magnus to navigate through the sea of people. Alec had been right; the place was completely packed full of nothing but people and noise. Children screamed their excitement, running around like chickens with their heads cut off, while their parents tripped over themselves as they tried to keep them in check.

Towards the back of the building, Max sits with a young couple and their twin boys. He looks nervous, definitely a little fearful, but overall okay. He seems to be rather comfortable around the young family, surprising Alec a lot. Max is hardly comfortable with anyone but those he knows well. Though Alec is far from okay with the situation, seeing Max in one piece definitely does wonders to calm his shaking rage.

Still, he doesn’t know how long it will be before he forgives his Mother for this one. He’s not sure he ever will. He’s sick and tired of her constant shit and the fact that Max always get the short end of the stick because of it. Max doesn't deserve that.

“Alec!” Max says excitedly, maybe a little desperately, as he and Magnus stop next to the table. He jumps up and wraps his arms around Alec’s waist, burying his face in stomach as he hugs him tightly.

After a few seconds he moves over to Magnus and hugs him just as fervently, squeezing him tightly around the middle. Magnus gently rubs circles into Max's back, glancing up at Alec with a look of absolute pride on his face. Though Max has shown Magnus affection before, the fact that he seems to be just as happy to see him there as he is to see Alec, especially given the circumstances, warms both of their hearts. Magnus does a lot for Max, probably more than his parents ever have, and having Max validate his effort like this is the best thing Max could have done.

“Please don’t freak out, I don’t want you and Mommy to fight,” Max says. “Magnus said he would stop you from fighting.”

“Don’t worry kid,” Alec says with a soft laugh, brushing the hair back from Max’s forehead. “I’m not going to freak out or anything, I promise. I was really worried about you but I’m just glad you’re okay.”

Alec wouldn’t freak out, at least not in front of Max. He wasn’t going to put Max through something like that. He wasn’t going to bad mouth their mother in front of his little brother. Despite what Maryse thinks sometimes, Alec does not want to poison their relationship. As long as it is healthy for Max and doesn't cause him any pain, Alec would always actively support their relationship.

“I missed you,” he says to the both of them, lip trembling ever so slightly before he smooths it out again. Within the time he had spent with Maryse and Robert, Max had gotten good at masking his emotions. He was taught to not show how he was feeling, no matter what, because Lightwoods always saved face. Despite how many times Alec told Max it was okay to express them, Max still has issues with letting people know how he's feeling. Alec could definitely relate to that, he was raised the same way and even today he still had difficulties expressing himself. “I knew you’d come.”

“Of course we’d come,” Magnus says as Alec wraps his arm around his brother’s shoulder and turns towards the table. “We’ll always come for you, sweetheart. Always.”

Max smiles at that and leans into Alec some more, wrapping one arm around his waist, as Alec addresses the family Maryse had pawned her kid off on. “I’m really sorry about all of this,” Alec says. “My Mother is… a very busy woman and she’s not very good at prioritizing. More often than not she doesn’t care who that inconveniences.”

“Oh don’t worry about it,” the woman says with a gentle smile. “While I wasn’t impressed with the fact that she left her son with people she really didn’t know, Max is a good kid and he actually gets along quite well with our sons. It wasn’t much of an inconvenience to us, really. We had fun.”

“Oh,” Alec says, breathing a sigh of relief. “That’s good then.”

“You must be Alec,” the man says, reaching out his hand towards Alec. “Max has told us a lot about you, he definitely loves and admires you a lot.”

Alec blushes as he shakes the man’s hand, smiling softly. “Oh, I’m not that special. He’s my brother, I’d do anything for him. That’s just how it works with me.”

“I’m Alice and this is Jackson,” Alice says, gesturing towards her husband. “These are our boys, Josh and Tyler.”

“It’s really nice to meet you,” Magnus says, “you all sound like really good people.”

The group descends into silence for a few seconds before Magnus breaks it. “I’d like to offer to pay your bill,” Magnus says, stepping forward. “Or at least compensate for it somehow if you've already paid for it. You didn’t ask for this, but you were still kind enough to look after a stranger’s kid.”

“Oh,” Alice says, shaking her head. “No, that won’t be necessary. Really. Like I said, it wasn’t much of an inconvenience to us. Besides, Maryse already offered before she left. We refused the payment, it just didn’t feel right to us, but she kind of threw the money at us as she rushed out the door anyway. We didn’t have much of a choice in the matter.”

“I wish I could say she wasn’t always like that but that would be a lie,” Alec says, shaking his head. He’s about to say more but he’s interrupted by his cell phone ringing shrilly.

Alec excuses himself before he steps aside and answers the phone. “Hey, big brother,” Izzy says, “we just got here, where are you guys?”

Alec gives Izzy directions to where their table is before he hangs up the phone and turns back towards the rest of the group.

“We’re probably going to head off now.” Alice stands up, followed closely by Jackson and the twins. The four of them quickly gather their things and prepare to leave. “It was nice meeting you, Max, you have our number and you’re welcome to call us anytime if you’d like to get in contact with the boys. If,” she says, glancing over at Alec and Magnus, “of course, your guardians are okay with that.”

Alec would be lying if he said he didn't like the sound of Alice referring to him and Magnus as Max's guardians. They were, of course, but it wasn't legally binding.

“Definitely,” Magnus and Alec say at the same time. Alec quickly writes down his number on a napkin and hands it to the woman. “Give us a call and we can set something up.”

Alice slips Magnus’ phone number into her purse and the young family heads out the back door. Alec watches them leave for a few seconds before he picks a table close by and sits down with Max and Magnus to wait for Jace and Izzy to arrive.

* * *

An hour and a half later and the change in Max’s demeanor is gratifying. He’s no longer nervous, there’s no sign of trembling, and he seems a lot more comfortable than he had been. He had been close to tears when he had called Magnus almost two hours ago, something he hadn’t told Alec because he knew it would only hurt the situation, but he was doing much better now.

Izzy, Jace, Alec, Magnus, and Max are all sitting in a booth together. Max is smooshed between Jace and Izzy on one side and Alec and Magnus are pressed up against each other on the opposite side. The mood is light, fun, and Magnus feels really good surrounded by his family. It's nice to go out like this, with no pressing matters or anything to worry about. They need to do it more often.

They had played games together, rock climbed and hit each other with bumper cars amongst other things, for over an hour before they decided to get something to eat. Max is telling an animated story about something that happened at school recently, making the entire table laugh, and the look on his face melts Magnus’ heart. He loves seeing his boy so happy and carefree.

He leans his head against Alec’s shoulder, wrapping one arm around his waist as the other hand finds its way into his coat pocket. His hand hits a small, square shaped, box and his fingers wrap around it. He had completely forgotten it was there, left over from the night he and Alec had run into Shawn, and the velvet against his fingers makes him smile.

He thinks about it, about continuing what he had planned that night they had been interrupted by Shawn. This certainly isn’t as romantic as he had originally planned, most people wouldn’t even think about doing something like this in an arcade surrounded by screaming kids and laughing adults. But, now that he thinks about it, the timing is kind of perfect.

Alec has never been a fancy kind of guy; he doesn’t like to be wooed with extravagant gestures. He wouldn’t care if their engagement story happened at an arcade, surrounded by the people he loves the most. In fact, he might even think it’s kind of perfect. The tables around them aren’t that populated and their booth is somewhat secluded from the rest of the arcade. He doesn’t have to worry about everyone staring at them, of making a big scene and giving their opinion whether or not they want it. It was perfect.

Magnus stands up quickly before he chickens out and decides not to do it. Once he’s standing, he stares down at Alec who doesn’t seem to think much of Magnus standing up. Magnus stands there for a few seconds, staring at Alec, before Alec realizes that something isn't right and looks up at him.

“What?” Alec says, somewhat self-consciously. “Is something wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, darling,” Magnus says, getting down on one knee. He hears Izzy squeal and the sound of her slapping someone on the arm, most likely Jace, as she quietly mutters “I told you so” over and over again under breath.

Alec blinks. And then blinks again. He's obviously confused, Magnus can tell he still hasn’t put two and two together but that’s okay. He’ll figure it out soon enough.

“I love you,” Magnus begins, unsure of what to say. He had this entire speech planned out, had rehearsed line after line after line a hundred times in preparation. He wanted everything to go perfectly. But now, kneeling here in front of Alec, his mind goes blank and he can’t think of anything to say.

“You are honestly the best thing that has ever happened to me,” Magnus continues after a few seconds of deciding what to say, speaking from the heart. “I am the man I am today because I met you. You make me a better person and you’ve helped me in ways you can’t even begin to imagine. I love everything about you, even the not so good parts, and I'd do anything to see you smile. Nothing will ever change that. Ever.”

He pulls out the box in his pocket and opens it up, revealing the ring he had spent months designing. It’s simple, like his Alec, with a subtle flash of flare he couldn’t stop himself from adding. The ring is a thick silver band, engraved on the inside with their initials, made of platinum. The center of the band was a shade lighter than the outer edges, with three medium sized diamonds resting precisly in the middle. He knows it’s going to fit him perfectly, Magnus had definitely made sure it would, and he really hopes Alec doesn’t think it’s too elaborate for him.

Alec doesn’t say anything at first, something that has Magnus terrified he had made the wrong move. They had never talked about marriage before, Magnus doesn’t really know how Alec will feel about this, and now that he thinks about it there is a good chance he had jumped the gun way too soon. Magnus starts to get nervous, fidgeting in his kneeling position on the floor, and is about to laugh the whole thing off to make up for the embarrassment he’s feeling right now.

Suddenly Alec is on his feet, pulling Magnus up with him, and crushes their lips together. The kiss lasts for a few seconds before Alec pulls away, beaming down at Magnus with a smile Magnus hadn’t seen in a long time. Alec was happy, truly happy, and Magnus felt like he could explode. He smiles himself, a bright, blinding, smile, full of excitement.

“Yes,” Alec says, taking the ring from Magnus. “God Magnus, of course I’ll marry you.”

Magnus grins, kissing Alec's cheek, before he slips Alec's ring on to his finger. He couldn't have been any happier right then and there.

They’ll get over Shawn; Magnus will end him if he even thinks about trying to hurt Alec or come between them in any way.

They’ll get over Maryse and her stupid shit; he and Alec will happily pick up her slack and do whatever it takes to take care of Max.

They’ll be okay, they've got each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the end guys, not bad for a fic that was intended to be a oneshot. I plan on eventually adding on to this, there's about four different ideas I have (including a potential redemption for Maryse for those few who wanted her to come back) that I could probably combine into one sequel. I'm not sure when that will happen though, we'll see. 
> 
> In the meantime, I'm working on a new malec A/B/O fic featuring more angsty goodness, Maryse and Robert's wonderful parenting, traditional values that'll make you scream, Musician!Alec, Alec and Magnus breaking the mold, Alec being the best brother, past abuse like woah, Camille in all her glory, and a very happy ending because I'm not heartless. If that seems like your thing be on the look out for it.
> 
> Come find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/assbuttrickyl)


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